Gamma Rays From Rotation-Powered Pulsars

TL;DR

This paper discusses the current understanding and challenges in identifying the origins of gamma-ray emissions from pulsars, emphasizing the potential of future observations to distinguish between competing models.

Contribution

It reviews existing models of gamma-ray emission in pulsars and highlights how upcoming observations can test and differentiate these models.

Findings

Current models predict different populations of radio-loud and radio-quiet gamma-ray pulsars.

Future gamma-ray observations will likely detect at least 50 radio-selected pulsars.

Large samples from upcoming missions will help resolve the emission site debate.

Abstract

The seven known gamma-ray pulsars represent a very small fraction of the more than 1000 presently known radio pulsars, yet they can give us valuable information about pulsar particle acceleration and energetics. Although the theory of acceleration and high-energy emission in pulsars has been studied for over 25 years, the origin of the pulsed gamma rays is a question that remains unanswered. Characteristics of the pulsars detected by the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory could not clearly distinguish between an emission site at the magnetic poles (polar cap models) and emission from the outer magnetosphere (outer gap models). There are also a number of theoretical issues in both type of model which have yet to be resolved. The two types of models make contrasting predictions for the numbers of radio-loud and radio-quiet gamma-ray pulsars and of their spectral characteristics. GLAST will probably detect at least 50 radio-selected pulsars and possibly many more radio-quiet pulsars. With this large sample, it will be possible to fully test the model predictions and finally resolve this longstanding question.