The magnetic coupling of planets and small bodies with a pulsar's wind

TL;DR

This paper explores how relativistic pulsar winds interact electromagnetically with orbiting planets or small bodies, forming Alfvén wings that could generate radio emissions and cause drift of small objects.

Contribution

It introduces a model of Alfvén wing formation in relativistic pulsar winds and discusses their implications for planetary systems and small bodies around pulsars.

Findings

Alfvén wings form on bodies in pulsar winds.

Wings can generate detectable radio emissions.

Small bodies experience significant drift due to wings.

Abstract

We investigate the electromagnetic interaction of a relativistic stellar wind with a planet or a smaller body in orbit around a pulsar. This may be relevant to objects such as PSR B1257+12 and PSR B1620-26 that are expected to hold a planetary system, or to pulsars with suspected asteroids or comets. Most models of pulsar winds predict that, albeit highly relativistic, they are slower than Alfv\'en waves. In that case, a pair of stationary Alfv\'en waves, called Alfv\'en wings (AW), is expected to form on the sides of the planet. The wings expand far into the pulsar's wind and they could be strong sources of radio emissions. The Alfv\'en wings would cause a significant drift over small bodies such as asteroids and comets.