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Astrophysics, High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, astro-ph.HE, Astrophysics, Galaxy Astrophysics, astro-ph.GA
Abstract:
The sensitivity of the MeerKAT radio interferometer is an opportunity to
probe deeper into the population of rare and faint extragalactic pulsars. The
TRAPUM (TRAnsients and PUlsars with MeerKAT) collaboration has conducted a
radio-domain search for accelerated pulsars and transients in the Small
Magellanic Cloud (SMC). This partially targeted survey, performed at L-band
(856-1712 MHz) with the core array of the MeerKAT telescope in 2-h
integrations, is twice as sensitive as the latest SMC radio pulsar survey. We
report the discovery of seven new SMC pulsars, doubling this galaxy's radio
pulsar population and increasing the total extragalactic population by nearly a
quarter. We also carried out a search for accelerated millisecond pulsars in
the SMC Globular Cluster NGC 121 using the full array of MeerKAT. This improved
the previous upper limit on pulsed radio emission from this cluster by a factor
of six. Our discoveries reveal the first radio pulsar-PWN systems in the SMC,
with only one such system previously known outside our galaxy (the "Crab pulsar
twin" in the Large Magellanic Cloud, PSR J0540$-$6919). We associate the 59 ms
pulsar discovery PSR J0040$-$7337, now the fastest spinning radio pulsar in the
SMC, with the bow-shock Pulsar Wind Nebula (PWN) of Supernova Remnant DEM S5.
We also present a new young pulsar with a 79 ms period, PSR J0048$-$7317, in a
PWN recently discovered in a MeerKAT radio continuum image. Using the
multi-beam capability of MeerKAT, we localised our pulsar discoveries, and two
previous Murriyang discoveries, to a positional uncertainty of a few
arcseconds.
