Related papers: Observational Constraints on Pulsar Wind Theories
Pulsar Wind Nebulae are highly intriguing astrophysical objects in many respects. They are the brightest and closest class of relativistic sources, and hence the ultimate laboratory for the physics of relativistic plasmas: several processes…
In this contribution we review the recent progress in the modeling of Pulsar Wind Nebulae (PWN). We start with a brief overview of the relevant physical processes in the magnetosphere, the wind-zone and the inflated nebula bubble. Radiative…
The model for pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) as the result of the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) downstream flow from a shocked, relativistic pulsar wind has been successful in reproducing many features of the nebulae observed close to the central…
PSR 1259-63 is a radio pulsar orbiting a Be star in a highly eccentric orbit. Soft and hard X-rays are observed from this binary system. We apply the shock powered emission model to this system. The collision of the pulsar and Be star winds…
Magnetohydrodynamical simulations are presented of a magnetized pulsar wind interacting directly with the interstellar medium, or, in the case of a surrounding supernova remnant, with the associated freely expanding ejecta of the progenitor…
The radio, optical, X-ray and gamma-ray nebulae that surround many pulsars are thought to arise from synchrotron and inverse Compton emission. The energy powering this emission, as well as the magnetic fields and relativistic particles, are…
In space weather studies and forecasting we employ magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations which can provide rather accurate reconstruction of the solar wind dynamics and its evolution. However, all MHD simulations are restricted by the input…
Diffusive TeV gamma-ray emissions have been recently discovered extending beyond the pulsar wind nebulae of a few middle-aged pulsars, implying that energetic electron/positron pairs are escaping from the pulsar wind nebulae and radiating…
A solution to the sigma problem - that of finding a mechanism capable of converting Poynting energy flux to particle-borne energy flux in a pulsar wind - was proposed several years ago by Coroniti and Michel who considered a particular…
Identification and characterization of a rapidly increasing number of pulsar wind nebulae is, and will continue to be, a challenge of high-energy gamma-ray astrophysics. Given that such systems constitute -- by far -- the most numerous…
Pulsar winds have longstanding problems in energy conversion and pair cascade processes which determine the magnetization $\sigma$, the pair multiplicity $\kappa$ and the bulk Lorentz factor $\gamma$ of the wind. We study induced Compton…
The main goal of our present work is to provide, for the first time, a simple computational tool that can be used to compute the brightness, the spectral index, the polarization, the time variability and the spectrum of the non-thermal…
As is well known, pulsars are extremely stable rotators. However, although slowly, they spin down thanks to brake mechanisms, which are in fact still subject of intense investigation in the literature. Since pulsars are usually modelled as…
The pulsar emission mechanism in the gamma-ray energy band is poorly understood. Currently, there are several models under discussion in the pulsar community. These models can be constrained by studying the collective properties of a sample…
In this paper we give a detailed account of the first 3D relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of Pulsar Wind Nebulae (PWN), with parameters most suitable for the Crab Nebula. In order to clarify the new features specific to 3D…
The population of gamma-ray pulsars, including Crab observed in the TeV range, and Vela detected above 50 GeV, challenges existing models of pulsed high-energy emission. Such models should be universally applicable, yet they should account…
The recent Chandra image of the Crab nebula shows a striking, axisymmetric polar jet. It is shown that jets are formed in axisymmetric, magnetized pulsar winds and that the jet luminosity scales relative to the total as…
Pulsar Wind Nebulae are the astrophysical sources that host the most relativistic shocks in Nature and the only Galactic sources in which we have direct evidence of PeV particles. These facts make them very interesting from the point of…
Pulsar Wind Nebulae (PWNe) are bubbles or relativistic plasma that form when the pulsar wind is confined by the SNR or the ISM. Recent observations have shown a richness of emission features that has driven a renewed interest in the…
The structure and the evolution of Pulsar Wind Nebulae (PWNe) are studied by means of two-dimensional axisymmetric relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (RMHD) simulations. After the first imaging of the Crab Nebula with Chandra, a growing…