Source of circular polarization in radio pulsars

ABSTRACT It is known that the concept of limiting polarization introduced 70 yr ago by K. G. Budden has the capacity to explain the magnitude of circular polarization seen in normal pulsars with light-cylinder radii of the order of 109–10 cm under the assumption of a high-multiplicity electron–positron plasma. However, a review of limiting polarization under the same assumption in millisecond pulsars indicates that it is inapplicable there because the region of limiting polarization lies far outside the light cylinder. This paper, using the ion–proton model, evaluates circular polarization both generally and specifically for J2144−3933, and gives a fairly detailed understanding of the observations in normal pulsars including the change of sign as a function of frequency seen in J0908−4913. But it also fails to explain circular polarization in millisecond pulsars owing to the smaller particle number densities and birefringence of the magnetosphere in these objects. However, the review of limiting polarization finds that, within the ion–proton model, this distinct process can describe their circular polarization. It is argued that certain features of millisecond pulsar Stokes profiles are clearly consistent with limiting polarization.

Radio and high-energy emission of pulsars revealed by general relativity

Context. According to current pulsar emission models, photons are produced within their magnetosphere and current sheet, along their separatrix, which is located inside and outside the light cylinder. Radio emission is favoured in the vicinity of the polar caps, whereas the high-energy counterpart is presumably enhanced in regions around the light cylinder, whether this is the magnetosphere and/or the wind. However, the gravitational effect on their light curves and spectral properties has only been sparsely researched. Aims. We present a method for simulating the influence that the gravitational field of the neutron star has on its emission properties according to the solution of a rotating dipole evolving in a slowly rotating neutron star metric described by general relativity. Methods. We numerically computed photon trajectories assuming a background Schwarzschild metric, applying our method to neutron star radiation mechanisms such as thermal emission from hot spots and non-thermal magnetospheric emission by curvature radiation. We detail the general-relativistic effects onto observations made by a distant observer. Results. Sky maps are computed using the vacuum electromagnetic field of a general-relativistic rotating dipole, extending previous works obtained for the Deutsch solution. We compare Newtonian results to their general-relativistic counterpart. For magnetospheric emission, we show that aberration and curvature of photon trajectories as well as Shapiro time delay significantly affect the phase delay between radio and high-energy light curves, although the characteristic pulse profile that defines pulsar emission is kept.

Discovery of a pulsar wind nebula around B0950 + 08 with the ELWA

ABSTRACT With the Expanded Long Wavelength Array and pulsar binning techniques, we searched for off-pulse emission from PSR B0950 + 08 at 76 MHz. Previous studies suggest that off-pulse emission can be due to pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe) in younger pulsars. Other studies, such as that done by Basu et al., propose that in older pulsars this emission extends to some radius that is on the order of the light cylinder radius, and is magnetospheric in origin. Through imaging analysis, we conclude that this older pulsar with a spin-down age of 17 Myr has a surrounding PWN, which is unexpected since as a pulsar ages its PWN spectrum is thought to shift from being synchrotron to inverse Compton scattering dominated. At 76 MHz, the average flux density of the off-pulse emission is 0.59 ± 0.16 Jy. The off-pulse emission from B0950+08 is ∼ 110 ± 17 arcsec (0.14 ± 0.02 pc) in size, extending well beyond the light cylinder diameter and ruling out a magnetospheric origin. Using data from our observation and the surveys VLSSr, TGSS, NVSS, FIRST, and VLASS, we have found that the spectral index for B0950 + 08 is about −1.36 ± 0.20, while the PWN’s spectral index is steeper than −1.85 ± 0.45.

Stimulated emission–based model of fast radio bursts

ABSTRACT Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are bright, short-duration radio transients with very high brightness temperatures implying highly coherent emission. We suggest that the FRBs are caused by the self-focusing of an electron beam interacting with an ambient plasma right beyond the light cylinder radius of a neutron star. The magnetic field at the light cylinder radius is relatively high that can accommodate both young Crab-like systems and old millisecond pulsars addressing the diverse environments of FRBs. At the first stage, the intense pulsed-beam passing through the background plasma causes instabilities such that the trapped particles in local Buneman-type cavitons saturate the local field. The beam is then radially self-focused due to the circular electric field developed by the two-stream instability that leads to Weibel instability in the transverse direction. Finally, the non-linear saturation of the Weibel instability results in the self-modulational formation of solitons due to plasmoid instability. The resonant solitary waves are the breather-type solitons hosting relativistic particles with self-excited oscillations. The analytical solutions obtained for non-linear dispersion and solitons suggest that, near the current sheets, the relativistic bunches are accelerated/amplified by klystron-like structures due to self-excited oscillations by the induced local electric field. Boosted coherent radio emission propagates through a narrow cone with strong focusing due to radial electric field and magnetic pinching. The non-linear evolution of solitons and the stimulated emission are associated with the Buneman instability and the possibility of the presence of nanosecond shots in FRBs are investigated.

Electrodynamics and Radiation from Rotating Neutron Star Magnetospheres

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 critical field of 4.4 × 10 9 T ). Moreover, due to copious e ± pair creation within the magnetosphere, the relativistic plasma surrounding the star is forced into corotation up to the light cylinder where the corotation speed reaches the speed of light. The neutron star electromagnetic activity is powered by its rotation which becomes relativistic in the neighborhood of this light cylinder. These objects naturally induce relativistic rotation on macroscopic scales about several thousands of kilometers, a crucial ingredient to trigger the central engine as observed on Earth. In this paper, we elucidate some of the salient features of this corotating plasma subject to efficient particle acceleration and radiation, emphasizing several problems and limitations concerning current theories of neutron star magnetospheres. Relativistic rotation in these systems is indirectly probed by the radiation produced within the magnetosphere. Depending on the underlying assumptions about particle motion and radiation mechanisms, different signatures on their light curves, spectra, pulse profiles and polarization angles are expected in their broadband electromagnetic emission. We show that these measurements put stringent constraints on the way to describe particle electrodynamics in a rotating neutron star magnetosphere.

Luminosity of synchrotron radiation from outer magnetosphere of pulsars

We calculate the luminosity of the synchrotron radiation from the vicinity of the light cylinder. We find that even if the thermal emission from the entire surface is included as the seed photon, the γ-ray to X-ray flux ratio for young pulsars is significantly higher than the observations. For these pulsars, most of γ-ray photons may be absorbed in the magnetosphere.

Modelling energy-dependent pulsar light curves

In recent years, surprise discoveries of pulsed emission from the Crab and Vela pulsars above 100 GeV have drawn renewed attention to this largely unexplored region of the energy range. In this paper, we discuss example light curves due to curvature emission, with good resolution in the different energy bands. Continued light curve modelling may help to discriminate between different emission mechanisms, as well as constrain the location where emission is produced within the pulsar magnetosphere, including regions beyond the light cylinder.

Drift approximation and ideal MHD of cold relativistic winds

A critical revision of the essential principles of the physics of relativistic flows of cold plasma is given. We prove that the approximation of ideal magnetic hydrodynamics of the cold plasma is equivalent to the drift approximation of motion of charged particles in an electromagnetic field. The equations of magnetohydrodynamics are obtained from equations for the drift motion of the charged particles. The conditions of application of the equations of ideal magnetohydrodynamics are obtained. In the case of the Crab pulsar the violation of the frozen-in condition can happen at a distance that well exceeds the distance to the termination shock. One fluid MHD can be incorrect at the light cylinder provided that the Lorentz factor of the plasma exceeds $10^{4}$ and the curvature radius of the flow line is comparable with the light cylinder. It is shown that the electric currents in the cold plasma are the result of the inertial drift motion of the charged particles in the crossed electric and magnetic fields.