Energetic Radiation from Rapidly Spinning Pulsars. II. VELA and Crab

1986302 citationsJournal Article

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Abstract

The growth of charge-depleted regions (gaps) in the outer magnetosphere of rapidly spinning magnetized neutron stars is limited by e± production. In the Vela pulsar a pair of e+ and e- created within the gap (primaries) are accelerated in opposite directions to extreme relativistic energies. The primary e-/e+ produce primary γ-rays through inverse Compton scattering on IR photons. Primary γ-rays are sufficiently energetic to produce (secondary) e± pairs in collisions with this same IR photon flux. Secondary synchrotron radiation by these pairs gives crossed fan beams of γ-rays and weaker ones of X-rays. Collisions of the hard secondary γ-rays with the secondary crossed beam soft X-rays give a large flux of lower energy e± (tertiary) pairs which fill much of the outer magnetosphere. It is the (tertiary) IR synchrotron radiation from tertiary pairs through the outer gap which initiates the entire series of pair production processes. For Vela, the calculated observable consequences include (a) twin cusped γ-ray pulses with photon spectrum F(ω) ≍ ω-3/2 ln (3 GeV/hω) from 3 GeV to about 102 KeV; (b) total fan beam radiated power 10-2 the pulsar spin-down energy loss rate; (c) an X-ray spectrum F(ω) ≍ ω-2/3 below 102 KeV; (d) weak, more closely spaced twin optical pulses from the tertiary radiation with power 10-5 that of the secondary γ-rays; (e) and e± outflow of 1036 s-1; (f) a double pulse of 1012 - 1013 eV γ-rays with about 10-2 the γ-ray power. Model Crab pulsar emissions are considered with emphasis on differences from those of Vela. Crab primary outer gap e+/e- lose most of their energy to curvature γ-rays, which convert to e± pairs in collisions with X-rays. These X-rays come from the synchrotron (secondary) emission from such (secondary) pairs created beyond the gap boundary. Inverse Compton scattering of secondary e± on the secondary X-rays boosts a fraction to γ-rays. The combination of secondary synchrotron and inverse Compton emission into twin fan beams gives the Crab pulsar spectrum from optical to GeV energies. Other mechanisms give the Crab's double pulsed radio and 1012 - 1013 eV emission and the possibility of 1015 eV nucleon beams.

Topics & Keywords

Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research Geophysics and Gravity Measurements Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Affordable and clean energy

Publication Details

Published in: The Astrophysical Journal

Volume 300, pp. 522-522

DOI: 10.1086/163830

Field-Weighted Citation Impact: 9.45