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L. Mestel
Articles written in Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy
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Volume 16 Issue 2 June 1995 pp 119-135
Magnetospheric models of pulsars–outstanding questions
The difficulties of the pulsar magnetosphere problem are illustrated by two models for the axisymmetric magnetic rotator: (a) a classical model, in which the return current problem is linked with angular momentum dissipation’ through incoherent gamma radiation beyond the light-cylinder; and (b) a quantum model, in which electron positron pairs are produced near the star, and spin-down is primarily through the transport of angular momentum by an e+-e-wind. The first model has some pedagogic value, but it makes the embarrassing prediction that all the spin-down energy is emitted as gammaradiation. In the second model a predicted small but significant emission in gamma-and X-rays is again linked with the return current problem, but the bulk of the energy emission is through the wind. The presence of both a high-γ primary electron beam and a moderate-γ pair plasma is as required by most models of coherent microwave emission. Problems persist in ensuring that the macroscopic conditions on the electric field are locally consistent with the microphysics. The most promising picture is of a spontaneous local hydromagnetic instability that yields a large effective resistivity. Some remarks are made on future extension of the theory to oblique geometry. For agreement with observations of the Crab nebula, the predicted dominance in the wind of the Poynting flux must be reversed in the far magnetosphere.
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Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy
Volume 44, 2023
All articles
Continuous Article Publishing mode
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Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy | News
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Continuous Article Publication
Posted on January 27, 2016Since January 2016, the Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy has moved to Continuous Article Publishing (CAP) mode. This means that each accepted article is being published immediately online with DOI and article citation ID with starting page number 1. Articles are also visible in Web of Science immediately. All these have helped shorten the publication time and have improved the visibility of the articles.
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Editorial Note on Continuous Article Publication
Posted on July 25, 2019Click here for Editorial Note on CAP Mode
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