X-Ray Spectral Evolution of PSR J2032+4127 during the 2017 Periastron Passage

Abstract

We report X-ray data analysis results obtained from Chandra, XMM-Newton, Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array Mission (NuSTAR), and Swift observations of PSR J2032+4127 taken before, during, and after the periastron on 2017 November 13. We found the first clear evidence of a change in the X-ray spectral index over the passage period, thanks to a broad and sensitive spectral coverage by XMM-Newton and NuSTAR. We analyzed the joint XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observation epochs with power-law and broken power-law models. We have obtained changes in spectral parameters before and after the periastron passage for both models. The spectra get softened after the passage. The evolution of the spectral index and break energy before and after the periastron may indicate a change in the physical state of shock-accelerated electrons.