Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics – Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2012-01-23
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
10 pages, 1 figure in preprint format; ApJL, accepted. Second version includes minor correction to velocity to account for Gal
Scientific paper
The formation mechanism of neutron stars with extremely large magnetic field strengths (magnetars) remains unclear. Some formation scenarios predict that magnetars should be born with extremely high space velocities, >1000 km/s. Using the Long Baseline Array in Australia, we have measured the proper motion of the intermittently radio-bright magnetar J1550-5418 (1E 1547.0-5408) to be 9.2 +/- 0.6 mas/yr. For a likely distance of 6 +/- 2 kpc, the implied transverse velocity is 280 + 130 - 120 km/s after correcting for Galactic rotation. Along with the ~200 km/s transverse velocity measured for the magnetar XTE J1810-197, this result suggests that formation pathways producing large magnetic fields do not require very large birth kicks.
Camilo Fernando
Deller Adam T.
Halpern Jules P.
Reynolds John E.
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