The pulsar synchrotron in 3D: curvature radiation

TL;DR

This study uses 3D simulations to explore how curvature radiation from particles in pulsar current sheets explains observed high-energy emissions, including light curves and polarization.

Contribution

It introduces detailed 3D modeling of pulsar current sheets to connect curvature radiation with observed gamma-ray features.

Findings

Curvature radiation can explain pulsar gamma-ray emission features.

Simulated light curves match Fermi observations across various angles.

Polarization profiles provide new insights into pulsar magnetic geometry.

Abstract

We investigate the strong electric current sheet that develops at the tip of the pulsar closed line region through time dependent three-dimensional numerical simulations of a rotating magnetic dipole. We show that curvature radiation from relativistic electrons and positrons in the current sheet may naturally account for several features of the high-energy pulsar emission. We obtain light curves and polarization profiles for the complete range of magnetic field inclination angles and observer orientations, and compare our results to recent observations from the Fermi gamma-ray telescope.