Linearly polarized superluminal waves in pulsar winds
Abstract
Pulsar winds are the ideal environment for the study of non-linear electromagnetic waves. It is generally thought that a pulsar launches a striped wind, a magnetohydrodynamic entropy wave, where plasma sheets carried along with the flow separate regions of alternating magnetic field. But when the density drops below a critical value, or equivalently for distances from the pulsar greater than a critical radius, a strong superluminal wave can also propagate. In this contribution we discuss the conversion of the equatorial striped wind into a linearly polarized superluminal wave, and we argue that this mode is important for the conversion of Poynting flux to kinetic energy flux before the outflow reaches the termination shock.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1202.1667,
title = {Linearly polarized superluminal waves in pulsar winds},
author = {Ioanna Arka and John G. Kirk},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1202.1667},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
6 pages, 2 figures, HEPRO III conference contribution