Pulsar Emission Physics: The First Fifty Years

TL;DR

This paper reviews fifty years of pulsar emission physics, highlighting the evolution from early gap models to modern global magnetosphere simulations that identify current sheets as key emission sites.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the historical development and current state of pulsar emission models, emphasizing the shift to simulation-based understanding.

Findings

Transition from polar cap gaps to outer and slot gaps

Current sheets as primary high-energy emission sites

Advancement through high-sensitivity telescopes

Abstract

Over the last fifty years since the discovery of pulsars, our understanding of where and how pulsars emit the radiation we observe has undergone significant revision. The location and mechanisms of high-energy radiation are intimately tied to the sites of particle acceleration. The evolution of emission models has paralleled the development of increasingly more sensitive telescopes, especially at high energies. I will review the history of pulsar emission modeling, from the early days of gaps at the polar caps, to outer gaps and slot gaps in the outer magnetosphere, to the present era of global magnetosphere simulations that locate most acceleration and high- energy emission in the current sheets.