Related papers: Reconnection in pulsar winds
In this letter, we describe results of new high-resolution axisymmetric relativistic MHD simulations of Pulsar Wind Nebulae. The simulations reveal strong breakdown of the equatorial symmetry and highly variable structure of the pulsar wind…
Spider pulsars are compact binary systems composed of a millisecond pulsar and a low-mass companion. Their X-ray emission - modulated on the orbital period - is interpreted as synchrotron radiation from high-energy electrons accelerated at…
Reconnection is the process by which magnetic fields in a conducting fluid change their topology. This process is essential for understanding a wide variety of astrophysical processes, including stellar and galactic dynamos and…
The diffusion of astrophysical magnetic fields in conducting fluids in the presence of turbulence depends on whether magnetic fields can change their topology or reconnect in highly conducting media. Recent progress in understanding fast…
We present 2D MHD simulations of the radiatively driven outflow from a rotating hot star with a dipole magnetic field aligned with the star's rotation axis. We focus primarily on a model with moderately rapid rotation (half the critical…
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…
The transport of magnetic flux to outside of collapsing molecular clouds is a required step to allow the formation of stars. Although ambipolar diffusion is often regarded as a key mechanism for that, it has been recently argued that it may…
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…
We consider parametric generation of electrostatic waves in the magnetosphere of the pulsar PSR0531. It is shown that in the framework of this mechanism it is possible to convert the pulsar rotational energy into the energy of Langmuir…
The theoretical prediction that magnetic reconnection spontaneously drives turbulence has been supported by magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) and kinetic simulations. While reconnection with externally driven turbulence is accepted as an effective…
Turbulent plasma motion is common in the universe, and invoked in solar flares to drive effective acceleration leading to high energy electrons. Unresolved mass motions are frequently detected in flares from extreme ultraviolet (EUV)…
Magnetic flux tubes in the presence of background rotational flows are abundant throughout the solar atmosphere and may act as conduits for MHD waves to transport energy throughout the solar atmosphere. Here we investigate the contribution…
An oblique-rotating pulsar generates a relativistic striped wind in a pulsar wind nebula (PWN). The termination shock of the PWN compresses the Poynting-flux-dominated flow and drives magnetic reconnection. By carrying out particle-in-cell…
We analyze particle acceleration in explosive reconnection events in magnetically dominated proton-electron plasmas. Reconnection is driven by large-scale magnetic stresses in interacting current-carrying flux tubes. Our model relies on…
The nature of the supernova leading to the Crab Nebula has long been controversial because of the low energy that is present in the observed nebula. One possibility is that there is significant energy in extended fast material around the…
Using a recently developed analytical procedure, we determine the rate of magnetic reconnection in the "standard" model of eruptive solar flares. During the late phase, the neutral line is located near the lower tip of the reconnection…
Solar wind plasma at the Earth's orbit carries transient magnetic field structures including discontinuities. Their interaction with the Earth's bow shock can significantly alter discontinuity configuration and stability. We investigate…
I outline, from a theoretical and somewhat personal perspective, significant features of Pulsar Wind Nebulae as Cosmic Accelerators. I discuss recent studies of Pulsar Wind Nebulae (PWNe). I pay special attention to the recently discovered…
Many stars across all classes possess strong enough magnetic fields to influence dynamical flow of material off the stellar surface. For the case of massive stars (O and B types), about 10\% of them harbour strong, globally ordered (mostly…
The current understanding of MHD turbulence envisions turbulent eddies which are anisotropic in all three directions. In the plane perpendicular to the local mean magnetic field, this implies that such eddies become current-sheet-like…