Gamma-ray pulsars: a gold mine

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent discoveries of gamma-ray pulsars, highlighting their role as natural laboratories for extreme physics and detailing advances in observations and magnetospheric models enabled by the Fermi telescope.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the latest gamma-ray pulsar discoveries and discusses the implications for understanding neutron star magnetospheres and particle acceleration.

Findings

Discovery of numerous gamma-ray pulsars with Fermi

Insights into neutron star magnetospheres and particle acceleration

Advancements in gamma-ray observational techniques

Abstract

The most energetic neutron stars, powered by their rotation, are capable of producing pulsed radiation from the radio up to gamma rays with nearly TeV energies. These pulsars are part of the universe of energetic and powerful particle accelerators, using their uniquely fast rotation and formidable magnetic fields to accelerate particles to ultra-relativistic speed. The extreme properties of these stars provide an excellent testing ground, beyond Earth experience, for nuclear, gravitational, and quantum-electrodynamical physics. A wealth of gamma-ray pulsars has recently been discovered with the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope. The energetic gamma rays enable us to probe the magnetospheres of neutron stars and particle acceleration in this exotic environment. We review the latest developments in this field, beginning with a brief overview of the properties and mysteries of rotation-powered pulsars, and then discussing gamma-ray observations and magnetospheric models in more detail.