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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0The Astrophysical Journal Letters

A High-Galactic-altitude Scattering Screen: Scintillation from Globular Cluster Pulsar M53A

  • Qiuyi He1,2
  • Xun Shi2
  • Dejiang Yin3
  • Di Li1
  1. 1Tsinghua University
  2. 2Yunnan University
  3. 3Guizhou University
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Abstract

While known interstellar scattering screens are largely confined to the Galactic disk, the scattering properties of the circumgalactic medium (CGM) in the deep Galactic halo have remained unexplored. Using observations from the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), we report the first detection of scintillation arcs in the secondary spectra of the high-latitude pulsar J1312+1810A (M53A). Under the 1D anisotropic and 2D isotropic thin-screen models considered here, the inferred scintillation screen distances are 12 . 8 − 3.5 + 2.6 and 11 . 7 − 3.5 + 2.8 kpc, respectively. These model-dependent estimates correspond to Galactic heights of 12 . 6 − 3.5 + 2.6 and 11 . 5 − 3.5 + 2.7 kpc, placing the candidate screen among the highest-altitude scattering structures inferred to date. The strong, time-variable scintillation asymmetry suggests substantial electron-density inhomogeneity within the screen. We speculate that this screen is associated with small-scale structures near the shock boundary of the northern eROSITA bubble. These results support the presence of discrete, inhomogeneous scattering structures deep within the Galactic halo, far beyond the regions where localized stellar feedback is typically concentrated, and highlight pulsar scintillation as a promising probe of small-scale ionized structures in the CGM.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{he2026highgalacticaltitude,
  title = {{A High-Galactic-altitude Scattering Screen: Scintillation from Globular Cluster Pulsar M53A}},
  author = {Qiuyi He and Xun Shi and Dejiang Yin and Di Li},
  journal = {The Astrophysical Journal Letters},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3847/2041-8213/aeacbd},
  url = {https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/aeacbd},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - A High-Galactic-altitude Scattering Screen: Scintillation from Globular Cluster Pulsar M53A
AU  - Qiuyi He
AU  - Xun Shi
AU  - Dejiang Yin
AU  - Di Li
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/13
JO  - The Astrophysical Journal Letters
DO  - 10.3847/2041-8213/aeacbd
UR  - https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/aeacbd
AB  - While known interstellar scattering screens are largely confined to the Galactic disk, the scattering properties of the circumgalactic medium (CGM) in the deep Galactic halo have remained unexplored. Using observations from the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), we report the first detection of scintillation arcs in the secondary spectra of the high-latitude pulsar J1312+1810A (M53A). Under the 1D anisotropic and 2D isotropic thin-screen models considered here, the inferred scintillation screen distances are 12 . 8 − 3.5 + 2.6 and 11 . 7 − 3.5 + 2.8 kpc, respectively. These model-dependent estimates correspond to Galactic heights of 12 . 6 − 3.5 + 2.6 and 11 . 5 − 3.5 + 2.7 kpc, placing the candidate screen among the highest-altitude scattering structures inferred to date. The strong, time-variable scintillation asymmetry suggests substantial electron-density inhomogeneity within the screen. We speculate that this screen is associated with small-scale structures near the shock boundary of the northern eROSITA bubble. These results support the presence of discrete, inhomogeneous scattering structures deep within the Galactic halo, far beyond the regions where localized stellar feedback is typically concentrated, and highlight pulsar scintillation as a promising probe of small-scale ionized structures in the CGM.
SN  - 2041-8205
SN  - 2041-8213
ER  -