Related papers: High-energy accelerators above pulsar polar caps
We investigate the particle accelerator that arises in a rotating neutron-star magnetosphere. Solving the Poisson equation for the electro-static potential, the Boltzmann equations for relativistic electrons and positrons, and the radiative…
Charged particles at the crust of compact stars may be ejected and accelerated by the electric field generated due to the rotation of the magnetized star. For neutron or hybrid stars, the negatively charged particles are usually electrons,…
We investigate the physical situation above the pulsar polar cap (PC) where the accelerating primaries (electrons) are not capable of producing sufficient numbers of electron-positron pairs at low altitudes (within 1-2 stellar radii above…
The characteristics of the high-energy emission from polar cap accelerators will be discussed. Particles accelerated in the "slot gap" near the polar cap rim will reach altitudes of several stellar radii before initiating pair cascades,…
We explore the pulsar slot gap electrodynamics up to very high altitudes, where for most relatively rapidly rotating pulsars both the standard small-angle approximation and the assumption that the magnetic field lines are ideal stream lines…
Electric currents j flow along the open magnetic field lines from the polar caps of neutron stars. Activity of a polar cap depends on the ratio \alpha=j/c\rho_GJ, where \rho_GJ is the corotation charge density. The customary assumption…
A self-consistent electrodynamics of a particle accelerator in a rotating neutron-star magnetosphere is investigated on the two-dimensional poloidal plane. Solving the Poisson equation for the electrostatic potential together with the…
A synthesis of the present knowledge on gamma-ray emission from the magnetosphere of a rapidly rotating neutron star is presented, focusing on the electrodynamics of particle accelerators. The combined curvature, synchrotron, and…
We revisit particle acceleration in the polar cap region of a neutron star by taking into account both general relativistic effects and the presence of toroidal oscillations at the star surface. In particular, we address the question of…
In laser-solid interactions, electrons may be generated and subsequently accelerated to energies of the order-of-magnitude of the ponderomotive limit, with the underlying process dominated by direct laser acceleration. Breaking this limit,…
Modifications to polar-gap models for pulsars are discussed for the case where the surface magnetic field, $B_\S$, of the neutron star is strong. For $B\ga4\times10^8\rm\,T$, the curvature $\gamma$-quanta emitted tangentially to the curved…
The number of pulsars with detected emission at X-ray and gamma-ray energies has been steadily growing, showing that beams of high-energy particles are commonly accelerated in pulsar magnetospheres, even though the location and number of…
Pulsars have been identified as good candidates for the acceleration of cosmic rays, up to ultra-high energies. However, a precise description of the acceleration processes at play is still to be established. Using 2D particle-in-cell…
In this paper, we discuss the results of a new particle pusher in realistic ultra-strong electromagnetic fields as those encountered around rotating neutron stars. After presenting results of this algorithm in simple fields and comparing…
The study of physical processes associated with particle acceleration in the open field line region above the polar cap (PC) of an isolated neutron star (NS) plays a fundamental role in our understanding and interpretation of high-energy…
Forty years after the discovery of rotation-powered pulsars, we still do not understand many aspects of their pulsed emission. In the last few years there have been some fundamental developments in acceleration and emission models. I will…
Electron motion in an oblique shock wave is studied by means of a one-dimensional, relativistic, electromagnetic, particle simulation code with full ion and electron dynamics. It is found that an oblique shock can produce electrons with…
It is shown that for moderately hot polar caps (with effective temperature of $\sim 10^6$ K), the efficiency of polar gap acceleration is lower compared to the case in which the polar caps are relatively cool and inverse Compton scattering…
We investigate self-consistent particle acceleration near a pulsar polar cap (PC) by the electrostatic field due to the effect of inertial frame dragging. Test particles gain energy from the electric field parallel to the open magnetic…
A neutron star with mass close to the lower limit might be a reasonable model for some anomalous pulsars. Emission is thermal. X-ray luminosity is high. Spatial velocity can be high. Since the radius is predicted to be large, the magnetic…