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Revealing the magnetic field geometry in the Milky Way’s most efficient particle accelerator

The first maps of the magnetic field in the nebula surrounding the Crab pulsar have been drawn using X-ray polarimetry. They provide insight into the flow of relativistic particles through the nebula and the generation of turbulence.

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Fig. 1: Magnetic field geometry of the Crab nebula.

References

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This is a summary of: Bucciantini, N. et al. Simultaneous space and phase resolved X-ray polarimetry of the Crab pulsar and nebula. Nat. Astron. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-023-01936-8 (2023).

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Revealing the magnetic field geometry in the Milky Way’s most efficient particle accelerator. Nat Astron 7, 522–523 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-023-01952-8

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