Related papers: Toward a Realistic Pulsar Magnetosphere
Pulsar spindown forms a reliable yet enigmatic prototype for the energy loss processes in many astrophysical objects including accretion disks and back holes. In this paper we review the physics of pulsar magnetospheres, concentrating on…
With the neutron star rotating under a stationary magnetic field generating unipolar induction, charges are driven to the pulsar surface according to their signs, and are uploaded to the magnetosphere along the magnetic field lines. In the…
We investigate the three-dimensional structure of the pulsar magnetosphere through time-dependent numerical simulations of a magnetic dipole that is set in rotation. We developed our own Eulerian finite difference time domain numerical…
We present solutions of force-free pulsar magnetospheres coupled with a uniform external magnetic field aligned with the dipole magnetic moment of the pulsar. The inclusion of the uniform magnetic field has the following consequences: The…
The motion of electrons and positrons in the vacuum magnetosphere of a neutron star with a surface magnetic field of B~10^12 G is considered. Particles created in the magnetosphere or falling into it from outside are virtually…
Almost 40 years after the discovery of pulsars -- and despite a plethora of secured data on them -- pulsar theory is still beset by a number of fundamental inconsistencies. In this short contribution, I will argue that (i) magnetars do not…
The phenomenology of the emission of pulsars and magnetars depends dramatically on the structure and properties of their magnetic field. In particular it is believed that the outbursting and flaring activity observed in AXPs and SRGs is…
We show that FFE (Force-Free Electrodynamics) describes pulsar magnetospheres -- even when radiation and particle wind power are comparable to the spin-down power. At the same time, we show that FFE is insufficient for calculating pulsar…
We study the propagation effects of radio waves in a pulsar magnetosphere, composed of relativistic electron-positron pair plasmas streaming along the magnetic field lines and corotating with the pulsar. We critically examine the various…
The ability of the neutron star surface to supply all or only part of the charges filling the pulsar magnetosphere is crucial for the physics prevailing within it, with direct consequences for the possible formation of pair creation…
The global structure of the current flows in pulsar magnetospheres is investigated, with rough calculations of the elements in the magnetospheric circuit. It is emphasized that the potential of critical field lines is the same as that of…
We propose a simple analytic model for the innermost (within the light cylinder of canonical radius) structure of open-magnetic-field lines of a rotating neutron star (NS) with relativistic outflow of charged particles (electrons/positrons)…
We perform force-free simulations for a neutron star orbiting a black hole, aiming at clarifying the main magnetosphere properties of such binaries towards their innermost stable circular orbits. Several configurations are explored, varying…
Selfconsistent magnetospheres of rotating cosmic magnets (neutron stars/pulsars) with arbitrary inclination of the magnetic against the rotation axis are considered. Present studies concentrate on the regime dominated by the force--free…
It was recently proposed that the electric field oscillation as a result of self-consistent $e^{\pm}$ pair production may be the source of coherent radio emission from pulsars. Direct Particle-in-Cell (PIC) simulations of this process have…
Electrospheres are environments with the same origin as pulsars; a highly magnetized rotating neutron star. In pulsars, a cascade of electron-positron pair creation enriches the plasma. The plasma surrounding an electrosphere consists only…
The stationary axisymmetric force-free magnetosphere of a pulsar is considered. We present an exact dipolar solution of the pulsar equation, construct the magnetospheric model on its basis and examine its observational support. The new…
We present a comprehensive investigation of the radio polarization properties within the theory of natural electromagnetic wave modes in pulsar magnetospheres. Taking into account the curvature of the field lines, aberration effects and…
We present a global kinetic plasma simulation of an axisymmetric pulsar magnetosphere with self-consistent $e^\pm$ pair production. We use the particle-in-cell method and log-spherical coordinates with a grid size $4096\times 4096$. This…
Most studies of the pulsar magnetosphere have assumed a pure magnetic dipole in flat spacetime. However, recent work suggests that the effects of general relativity are in fact of vital importance and that realistic pulsar magnetic fields…