Radio Pulsars

TL;DR

This review summarizes recent advances in understanding pulsar magnetospheres, radio emission mechanisms, and magnetic axis evolution, highlighting progress in theoretical models and observational insights over nearly 50 years since their discovery.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of recent progress in pulsar structure, especially in magnetosphere theory, radio emission location and geometry, and magnetic axis evolution.

Findings

Progress in self-consistent magnetosphere models

Insights into radio emission location and geometry

Understanding of magnetic axis evolution

Abstract

Almost 50 years after radio pulsars were discovered in 1967, our understanding of these objects remains incomplete. On the one hand, within a few years it became clear that neutron star rotation gives rise to the extremely stable sequence of radio pulses, that the kinetic energy of rotation provides the reservoir of energy, and that electromagnetic fields are the braking mechanism. On the other hand, no consensus regarding the mechanism of coherent radio emission or the conversion of electromagnetic energy to particle energy yet exists. In this review, we report on three aspects of pulsar structure that have seen recent progress: the self-consistent theory of the magnetosphere of an oblique magnetic rotator; the location, geometry, and optics of radio emission; and evolution of the angle between spin and magnetic axes. These allow us to take the next step in understanding the physical nature of the pulsar activity.