Abstract
THE well studied1á€-5 Vela pulsar, which has recently6,7 been demonstrated to lie at the centre of the Vela supernova remnant8, loses far more rotational energy than can be accounted for by radiation from the pulsar itself or from a surrounding, compact nebula9á€-11. One theory suggests that the energy is carried away by an equatorial wind12. Here we report the observation of an X-ray-emitting jet, which begins at the pulsar and extends roughly seven parsecs towards the south-southwest and along the pulsar spin axis13 (indicating a polar, rather than equatorial flow). This jet may provide the loss mechanism for most of the pulsar's rotational spin-down energy. One-sided jets, such as Vela, may also accelerate pulsars to large space velocities.
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Markwardt, C., Ögelman, H. An X-ray jet from the Vela pulsar. Nature 375, 40–42 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1038/375040a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/375040a0
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