Particle Acceleration and Non-Thermal Emission in Pulsar Outer Magnetospheric Gap

TL;DR

This study models particle acceleration and non-thermal emission in pulsar magnetospheres, successfully explaining observed spectra and pulse profiles of the Vela pulsar through detailed electrodynamic simulations.

Contribution

It introduces a two-dimensional electrodynamic model that includes both ingoing and outgoing particles, providing new insights into pulsar emission mechanisms and pulse profile formation.

Findings

Curvature radiation dominates above 10 MeV.

Synchrotron radiation from ingoing particles explains soft gamma-ray to X-ray emissions.

Model reproduces observed pulse profiles of the Vela pulsar.

Abstract

A two-dimensional electrodynamic model is used to study particle acceleration and non-thermal emission mechanisms in the pulsar magnetospheres. We solve distribution of the accelerating electric field with the emission process and the pair-creation process in meridional plane, which includes the rotational axis and the magnetic axis. By solving the evolutions of the Lorentz factor, and of the pitch angle, we calculate spectrum in optical through $\gamma$-ray bands with the curvature radiation, synchrotron radiation, and inverse-Compton process not only for outgoing particles, but also for ingoing particles, which were ignored in previous studies. We apply the theory to the Vela pulsar. We find that the curvature radiation from the outgoing particles is the major emission process above 10 MeV bands. In soft $\gamma$-ray to hard X-ray bands, the synchrotron radiation from the ingoing primary particles in the gap dominates in the spectrum. Below hard X-ray bands, the synchrotron emissions from both outgoing and ingoing particles contribute to the calculated spectrum. The calculated spectrum is consistent with the observed phase-averaged spectrum of the Vela pulsar. We show that the observed five-peak pulse profile in the X-ray bands of the Vela pulsar is reproduced by the inward and outward emissions, and the observed double-peak pulse profile in $\gamma$-ray bands is explained by the outward emissions.