[78.06] Infrared Imaging and Polarimetry of the Crab Nebula and Pulsar using Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics

AAS 207th Meeting, 8-12 January 2006
Session 78 Seeing the Universe in a New (Sodium) Light: Early Science Results from Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics
Poster, Tuesday, 9:20am-6:30pm, January 10, 2006, Exhibit Hall

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[78.06] Infrared Imaging and Polarimetry of the Crab Nebula and Pulsar using Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics

J. R. Graham, M. D Perrin (UC Berkeley), C. E. Max (UC Santa Cruz)

Young Galactic pulsars provide the nearest examples of relativistic outflows and are the most amenable to study on physically relevant spatial scales. Pulsar winds are observed only indirectly through interactions with their environment; the Crab Nebula provides the closest example. We present Keck and Lick laser guide star (LGS) adaptive optics near-IR observations of the inner 20’’ of the Crab pulsar synchrotron nebula, including the pulsar, wisps, knots and filaments.

This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation through the Center for Adaptive Optics, UC Santa Cruz.

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