Related papers: Pulsar spin-down luminosity: Simulations in genera…
Magnetospheres of many astrophysical objects can be accurately described by the low-inertia (or "force-free") limit of MHD. We present a new numerical method for solution of equations of force-free relativistic MHD based on the…
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 address the issue of electromagnetic pulsar spindown by combining our experience from the two limiting idealized cases which have been studied in great extent in the past: that of an aligned rotator where ideal MHD conditions apply, and…
We solve for the time-dependent dynamics of axisymmetric, general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic winds from rotating neutron stars. The mass loss rate is obtained self-consistently as a solution to the MHD equations, subject to a finite…
In this study, we model a pulsar as a general relativistic oblique rotator, where the oblique rotator is a rotationally deformed neutron star whose rotation and magnetic axis are inclined at an angle. The oblique rotator spins down, losing…
We present a detailed analysis of the properties of twisted, force-free magnetospheres of non-rotating neutron stars, which are of interest in the modelling of magnetar properties and evolution. In our models the magnetic field smoothly…
Accreting pulsars power relativistic jets, and display a complex spin phenomenology. These behaviours may be closely related to the large-scale configuration of the star's magnetic field, shaped by its interaction with the surrounding…
We examine the effects of a relativistic wind on the spin down of a neutron star and apply our results to the study of Soft Gamma Repeaters (SGRs), thought to be neutron stars with magnetic fields > 10^{14} G. We derive a spin-down formula…
The close vicinity of neutron stars remains poorly constrained by observations. Although plenty of data are available for the peculiar class of pulsars we are still unable to deduce the underlying plasma distribution in their magnetosphere.…
Some of the most energetic pulsars exhibit rotation-modulated gamma-ray emission in the $0.1$ to $100$ GeV band. The luminosity of this emission is typically $0.1\text{-}10\%$ of the pulsar spin-down power (gamma-ray efficiency), implying…
Aims. Many recent observations of pulsars and magnetars can be interpreted in terms of neutron stars (NS) with multipole electromagnetic fields. As a first approximation, we investigate the multipole magnetic and electric fields in the…
We present the generalization of a recently introduced modified gravitational potential for self-gravitating fluids. The use of this potential allows for an accurate approximation of general relativistic effects in an otherwise Newtonian…
Rotating neutron stars, or pulsars, are plausibly the source of power behind many astrophysical systems, such as gamma-ray bursts, supernovae, pulsar wind nebulae and supernova remnants. In the past several years, 3D numerical simulations…
The presence of a companion wind in neutron star binary systems can form a contact discontinuity well within the pulsar's light cylinder, effectively creating a waveguide that confines the pulsar's electromagnetic fields and significantly…
We evaluate the result of the recent pioneering numerical simulations in Spitkovsky~2006 on the spindown of an oblique relativistic magnetic dipole rotator. Our discussion is based on our experience from two idealized cases, that of an…
Neutron stars are compact objects rotating at high speed, up to a substantial fraction of the speed of light (up to 20\% for millisecond pulsars) and possessing ultra-strong electromagnetic fields (close to and sometimes above the quantum…
We calculated the ellipticity of the deformed star due to the rotation or magnetic field. These two effects are compared to each other within general relativity. It turned out that the magnetic distortion is important for recently observed…
We present the first self-consistent global simulations of pulsar magnetospheres with operating $e^\pm$ discharge. We focus on the simple configuration of an aligned or anti-aligned rotator. The star is spun up from zero (vacuum) state to a…
The rotational period of isolated pulsars increases over time due to the extraction of angular momentum by electromagnetic torques. These torques also change the obliquity angle $\alpha$ between the magnetic and rotational axes. Although…
Several applications of spectral methods to problems related to the relativistic astrophysics of compact objects are presented. Based on a proper definition of the analytical properties of regular tensorial functions we have developed a…