DOI

https://doi.org/10.48717/bp6k-s531

Project

EM172

Title

Catching the mouse in her nest: resolving the Mini Mouse with the EVN

Abstract

The Mini Mouse is a recently discovered pulsar wind nebula with a cometary-like morphology produced by a supersonic pulsar (PSRJ1914+1054g) escaping the location of its birth, marked by a faint supernova remnant. Only a small number of objects present such a cometary morphology, indicative of high proper velocities and/or a dense ISM. MeerKAT time-domain observations localised the pulsar with a 10 arcsec accuracy to a position consistent with the head of the Mini Mouse nebula, albeit at a position apparently in front rather than behind it. We propose a sensitive 12 hr observation (24 hr in total) of the position of the Mini Mouse head with the EVN+e-MERLIN at L-band to (i) detect the pulsar in the image plane and locate it to tens of mas accuracy; (ii) constrain the size of the bow shock at the head of the nebula, and probe its structure. These observations will allow us to: localise PSR J1914+1054g with unprecedented accuracy, strengthening its association with the Mini Mouse; clarify the structure of the nebula and the position of the pulsar within it; obtain an independent measurement of the pulsar velocity, and of the local ISM density.