The neutral gas in the environs of the Geminga gamma-ray pulsar

Abstract

We present a high-resolution (24 arcsec) study of the HI interstellar gas distribution around the radio-quiet neutron star Geminga. Based on Very Large Array (VLA) and MPIfR Effelsberg telescope data, we analyzed a 40' x 40' field around Geminga. These observations have revealed the presence of a neutral gas shell, 0.4 pc in radius, with an associated HI mass of 0.8 Msun, which surrounds Geminga at a radial velocity compatible with the kinematical distance of the neutron star. In addition, morphological agreement is observed between the internal face of the HI shell and the brightest structure of Geminga's tail observed in X-rays.We explore the possibility that this morphological agreement is the result of a physical association.

One tarfile including a Latex file (7 pages) and two figures. Paper accepted for publication in Advances in Space Research; typos corrected; changes in section Results and Discussion after referee's suggestions. S. Johnston's affilation corrected