The Filling of Neutron Star Magnetospheres with Plasma: Dynamics of the Motion of Electrons and Positrons

TL;DR

This paper models the motion of electrons and positrons in neutron star magnetospheres, revealing how particles are captured, oscillate, and contribute to plasma layer formation near the force-free surface.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of particle dynamics, capture mechanisms, and plasma accumulation in neutron star magnetospheres using the Dirac-Lorentz equation.

Findings

Particles are captured and oscillate near the force-free surface.

The plasma layer thickness increases monotonically over time.

Estimated timescales for magnetosphere filling with plasma.

Abstract

We consider the motion of charged particles in the vacuum magnetospheres of rotating neutron stars with a strong surface magnetic field, B>10^(12) G. The electrons and positrons falling into the magnetosphere or produced in it are shown to be captured by the force-free surface EB=0. Using the Dirac-Lorentz equation, we investigate the dynamics of particle capture and subsequent motion near the force-free surface. The particle energy far from the force-free surface has been found to be determined by the balance between the power of the forces of an accelerating electric field and the intensity of curvature radiation. When captured, the particles perform adiabatic oscillations along the magnetic field lines and simultaneously move along the force-free surface. We have found the oscillation parameters and trajectories of the captured particles. We have calculated the characteristic capture times and energy losses of the particles through the emission of both bremsstrahlung and curvature photons by them. The capture of particles is shown to lead to a monotonic increase in the thickness of the layer of charged plasma accumulating near the force-free surface. The time it takes for a vacuum magnetosphere to be filled with plasma has been estimated.