# Fermi Gamma-Ray Pulsars: Understanding the High-Energy Emission from   Dissipative Magnetospheres

**Authors:** Constantinos Kalapotharakos, Alice K. Harding, Demosthenes Kazanas,, Gabriele Brambilla

arXiv: 1702.03069 · 2017-06-28

## TL;DR

This paper uses Fermi gamma-ray data to constrain models of pulsar magnetospheres, revealing how conductivity and particle acceleration depend on the pulsar's spin-down rate, and improving understanding of high-energy emission mechanisms.

## Contribution

It refines dissipative pulsar magnetosphere models by linking conductivity and gap width to spin-down rate using observational data, advancing the physical understanding of gamma-ray emission.

## Key findings

- Conductivity increases with spin-down rate at high values.
- Gap width expands as spin-down rate decreases.
- Gamma-ray luminosity correlates with particle multiplicity.

## Abstract

Based on the Fermi observational data we reveal meaningful constraints for the dependence of the macroscopic conductivity $(\sigma)$ of dissipative pulsar magnetosphere models on the corresponding spin-down rate, $\dot{\mathcal{E}}$. Our models are refinements of the FIDO (Force-Free Inside, Dissipative Outside) models whose dissipative regions are restricted on the equatorial current-sheet outside the light-cylinder. Taking into account the observed cutoff-energies of all the Fermi-pulsars and assuming that a) the corresponding $\gamma-$ray pulsed emission is due to curvature radiation at the radiation-reaction-limit regime and b) this emission is produced at the equatorial current-sheet near the light-cylinder, we show that the \emph{Fermi}-data provide clear indications about the corresponding accelerating electric-field components. A direct comparison between the \emph{Fermi} cutoff-energies and the model ones reveals that $\sigma$ increases with $\dot{\mathcal{E}}$ for high $\dot{\mathcal{E}}$-values while it saturates for low ones. This comparison indicates also that the corresponding gap-width increases toward low $\dot{\mathcal{E}}$-values. Assuming the Goldreich-Julian flux for the emitting particles we calculate the total $\gamma-$ray luminosity $(L_{\gamma})$. A comparison between the dependence of the Fermi $L_{\gamma}$-values and the model ones on $\dot{\mathcal{E}}$ indicates an increase of the emitting particle multiplicity with $\dot{\mathcal{E}}$. Our modeling guided by the \emph{Fermi}-data alone, enhances our understanding of the physical mechanisms behind the high energy emission in pulsar magnetospheres.

## Full text

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## Figures

4 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/1702.03069/full.md

## References

27 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/1702.03069/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/1702.03069