Radio Emission and Electric Gaps in Pulsar Magnetospheres
The origin of pulsar radio emission is one of the old puzzles in theoretical astrophysics. In this Letter, we present a global kinetic plasma simulation that shows from first principles how and where radio emission can be produced in pulsar magnetospheres. We observe the self-consistent formation of...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2023-01-01
|
| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad0556 |
| _version_ | 1797611897841778688 |
|---|---|
| author | Ashley Bransgrove Andrei M. Beloborodov Yuri Levin |
| author_facet | Ashley Bransgrove Andrei M. Beloborodov Yuri Levin |
| author_sort | Ashley Bransgrove |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The origin of pulsar radio emission is one of the old puzzles in theoretical astrophysics. In this Letter, we present a global kinetic plasma simulation that shows from first principles how and where radio emission can be produced in pulsar magnetospheres. We observe the self-consistent formation of electric gaps that periodically ignite electron-positron discharge. The gaps form above the polar cap and in the bulk return current. Discharge of the gaps excites electromagnetic modes, which share several features with the radio emission of real pulsars. We also observe the excitation of plasma waves and charge bunches by beam instabilities in the outer magnetosphere. Our numerical experiment demonstrates that global kinetic models can provide deep insight into the emission physics of pulsars and may help interpret their multiwavelength observations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:35:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a8b30f1c5f3646f390b28dcc0b4429e5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2041-8205 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:35:11Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-a8b30f1c5f3646f390b28dcc0b4429e52023-11-17T10:57:41ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal Letters2041-82052023-01-019581L910.3847/2041-8213/ad0556Radio Emission and Electric Gaps in Pulsar MagnetospheresAshley Bransgrove0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9711-9424Andrei M. Beloborodov1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5660-3175Yuri Levin2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6987-1299Physics Department and Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University , 538 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA ; abransgrove@princeton.edu; Princeton Center for Theoretical Science and Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University , Princeton, NJ 08544, USAPhysics Department and Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University , 538 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA ; abransgrove@princeton.edu; Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics , Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 1, D-85741, Garching, GermanyPhysics Department and Columbia Astrophysics Laboratory, Columbia University , 538 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027, USA ; abransgrove@princeton.edu; Center for Computational Astrophysics, Flatiron Institute , 162 5th Avenue, 6th floor, New York, NY 10010, USA; Department of Physics and Astronomy, Monash University , Clayton, VIC 3800, AustraliaThe origin of pulsar radio emission is one of the old puzzles in theoretical astrophysics. In this Letter, we present a global kinetic plasma simulation that shows from first principles how and where radio emission can be produced in pulsar magnetospheres. We observe the self-consistent formation of electric gaps that periodically ignite electron-positron discharge. The gaps form above the polar cap and in the bulk return current. Discharge of the gaps excites electromagnetic modes, which share several features with the radio emission of real pulsars. We also observe the excitation of plasma waves and charge bunches by beam instabilities in the outer magnetosphere. Our numerical experiment demonstrates that global kinetic models can provide deep insight into the emission physics of pulsars and may help interpret their multiwavelength observations.https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad0556Radio pulsarsGamma-raysPlasma astrophysicsMagnetic fields |
| spellingShingle | Ashley Bransgrove Andrei M. Beloborodov Yuri Levin Radio Emission and Electric Gaps in Pulsar Magnetospheres The Astrophysical Journal Letters Radio pulsars Gamma-rays Plasma astrophysics Magnetic fields |
| title | Radio Emission and Electric Gaps in Pulsar Magnetospheres |
| title_full | Radio Emission and Electric Gaps in Pulsar Magnetospheres |
| title_fullStr | Radio Emission and Electric Gaps in Pulsar Magnetospheres |
| title_full_unstemmed | Radio Emission and Electric Gaps in Pulsar Magnetospheres |
| title_short | Radio Emission and Electric Gaps in Pulsar Magnetospheres |
| title_sort | radio emission and electric gaps in pulsar magnetospheres |
| topic | Radio pulsars Gamma-rays Plasma astrophysics Magnetic fields |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad0556 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ashleybransgrove radioemissionandelectricgapsinpulsarmagnetospheres AT andreimbeloborodov radioemissionandelectricgapsinpulsarmagnetospheres AT yurilevin radioemissionandelectricgapsinpulsarmagnetospheres |