The Appearance of a Radio-Pulsar Magnetosphere from a Vacuum with a Strong Magnetic Field. Motion of Charged Particles

TL;DR

This paper investigates the behavior of electrons and positrons in a neutron star's magnetosphere with strong magnetic fields, revealing rapid acceleration and oscillatory motion along force-free surfaces.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of charged particle dynamics in a vacuum magnetosphere with ultra-strong magnetic fields, highlighting the particle acceleration and oscillation mechanisms.

Findings

Particles reach Lorentz factors of ~10^8 instantly.

Particles oscillate ultra-relativistically after crossing the force-free surface.

Particles drift along the force-free surface during oscillations.

Abstract

The motion of electrons and positrons in the vacuum magnetosphere of a neutron star with a surface magnetic field of B~10^12 G is considered. Particles created in the magnetosphere or falling into it from outside are virtually instantaneously accelerated to Lorentz factors gamma~10^8. After crossing the force-free surface, where the projection of the electric field onto the magnetic field vanishes, a particle begins to undergo ultra-relativistic oscillations. The particle experiences a regular drift along the force-free surface simultaneous with this oscillatory motion.