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Evolution and Radiation in Pulsar Polar Cap Models

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 August 2015

M. Ruderman*
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Columbia University

Abstract

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Positively charged particle emission from pulsar polar caps evolves through many stages as the cap temperature cools. In “infant” pulsars, stripped Fe ions interact with secondary e± from a 1012 V discharge maintained just above the cap to give coherent radio emission at very high frequencies in a very broad beam. In “adolescent” pulsars such as the Crab and Vela, lower energy Fe ions interact with streams of protons produced in the surface by photonuclear reactions to give lower frequency highly linearly polarized radiation. There is no cap e± discharge. In mature “adult” pulsars proton and/or Fe ion streams from discharge heated patches on the polar cap interact with a relativistic e± plasma to give coherent radio subpulse beams which can drift, have strong submillisecond modulations, and orthogonal polarization mode switching. Young pulsars, and some older ones, can support additional more energetic e± discharges on some open field lines in the outer magnetosphere. These all give strong double beams of GeV γ-rays and weaker γ-ray beams above ~ 1012 eV. With Crab pulsar parameters an e± plasma associated with such a discharge also can give optical and X-ray double beams. If illuminated by the normal pulsar beam (precursor) coherent inverse Compton scattering also contributes a double beam of harder radio frequencies.

Type
II. Radio Emission Mechanism
Copyright
Copyright © Reidel 1981 

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