Related papers: The theory of Pulsar Wind Nebulae: recent progress
After discussion of observational constraints on the nature of the MHD wind coupling between the Crab Pulsar and the Crab Nebula, the theory of transverse relativistic shock structure is reviewed and applied to the interpretation of the…
The Crab nebula is one of the most studied cosmic particle accelerators, shining brightly across the entire electromagnetic spectrum up to very high-energy gamma rays. It is known from radio to gamma-ray observations that the nebula is…
A rotating star with a monopole (or split monopole) magnetic field gives the simplest, prototype model of a rotationally driven stellar wind. Winds from compact objects, in particular neutron stars, carry strong magnetic fields with modest…
The 1968 discovery of the Crab and Vela pulsars in their respective supernova remnants (SNRs) confirmed Baade and Zwicky's 1934 prediction that supernovae form neutron stars. Observations of Pulsar Wind Nebulae (PWNe), particularly with the…
Gamma-ray bursts are the most luminous and probably the most relativistic events in the universe. The last few years have seen a tremendous increase in our knowledge of these events, but the source of the bursts still remains elusive. I…
The non-thermal, non-pulsed X-ray emission of MSPs is investigated. As in young pulsars, MSPs emit a relativistic wind, which interacting with the interstellar medium and/or a binary companion can significantly contribute to the non-pulsed…
Pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) are among the most extreme particle accelerators in galaxies, are recognized as multi-TeV electron/positron sources, and are one of the dominant classes of Galactic gamma-ray sources. Vela X is a nearby PWN at 290…
A forefront area of research concerns the exploration of the properties of hadronic matter under extreme conditions of temperature and density, and the determination of the equation of state--the relation between pressure, temperature and…
Neutron stars lose the bulk of their rotational energy in the form of a pulsar wind: an ultra-relativistic outflow of predominantly electrons and positrons. This pulsar wind significantly impacts the environment and possible binary…
Winds arising from galaxies, star clusters, and active galactic nuclei are crucial players in star and galaxy formation, but it has proven remarkably difficult to use observations of them to determine physical properties of interest,…
The Crab pulsar belongs to one of the most studied stellar objects in the sky. Since its accidental detection in 1968, its pulsed emission has been observed throughout most of the electromagnetic spectrum. Although currently one of more…
The dynamics of relativistic magnetized mass loaded outflows carrying toroidal magnetic field is analyzed in the context of Pulsar Wind Nebulae (PWNs). Mass loading is very efficient in slowing down super-relativistic magnetized flows and…
For pulsars similar to the one in the Crab Nebula, most of the energy input to the surrounding wind nebula occurs on a timescale of less than 1000 years; during this time, the nebula expands into freely expanding supernova ejecta. On a…
The excellent sensitivity and high resolution capability of wide FoV ground-based imaging atmospheric Cerenkov telescopes allow us for the first time to resolve the morphological structures of pulsar wind nebulae (PWN) which are older and…
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…
The astronomical origin of the most energetic galactic cosmic rays and gamma rays is still uncertain. X-ray followup of candidate "PeVatrons", systems producing cosmic rays with energies exceeding 1 PeV, can constrain their spatial origin,…
Pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) are clouds of the magnetized relativistic electron/positron plasma supplied from the central pulsar. However, the number of radio-emitting particles inside a PWN is larger than the expectation from the study of…
We can probe observationally and reproduce theoretically intricate properties of the Crab Nebula nearest to the pulsar - The Inner Knot. The tiny knot is indeed a bright spot on the surface of a quasi-stationary magnetic relativistic shock…
I review recent progress in the theory of relativistic jet production. The presently favored mechanism is an electrodynamic one, in which charged plasma is accelerated by electric fields that are generated by a rotating magnetic field. The…
Ultrarelativistic particles called cosmic rays permeate the Milky Way, propagating through the Galactic turbulent magnetic fields. The mechanisms under which these particles increase their energy can be reasonably described by current…