On the Scattering and Absorption of Electromagnetic Radiation within Pulsar Magnetospheres

Blandford, R. D.; Scharlemann, E.T.

doi:10.1093/mnras/174.1.59

Cited by 104 publications

(100 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Numerical estimates show that the optical depth to this process can indeed be significant at pulsar conditions (e.g. Blandford & Scharlemann 1976;Lyubarskii & Petrova 1996). The presence of a strong magnetic field can substantially affect the scattering process, changing both the particle recoil and the scattering cross-section.…”

Section: General Equationsmentioning

confidence: 98%

On the origin of giant pulses in radio pulsars

Petrova¹

2004

A&A

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Abstract. Induced Compton scattering of radio emission off the particles of the ultrarelativistic highly magnetized plasma of pulsar magnetosphere is considered. The scattering between the photon beams of substantially differing frequencies and orientations appears to result in photon transfer to the higher frequency. With the decreasing spectrum of pulsar radio emission, this may imply a significant amplification of the higher-frequency intensity. A detailed analysis shows that the rays of widely spaced frequencies can have different orientations, at least at certain locations in the pulsar magnetosphere. The numerical estimates confirm the possibility of an efficient beam-to-beam scattering in the pulsars known as giant pulse sources. Thus, the intensity amplification on account of induced scattering of the lower-frequency radiation is suggested to underlie the giant pulse phenomenon. A huge pulse-to-pulse scatter in the observed intensities of the giant pulse sources (over more than three orders of magnitude) testifies to significant variations of the efficiency of amplification. If this variability is attributed to the fluctuations of both the particle number density and the incident intensity and the latter are considered as the partially correlated Gaussian random quantities, one arrives at the power-law distribution of strong pulses in intensity. The formation of the giant pulse substructure, the broad-band spectral behaviour of the scattering efficiency and the link of giant pulses to the high-energy emission are discussed as well.

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Section: General Equationsmentioning

confidence: 98%

On the origin of giant pulses in radio pulsars

Petrova¹

2004

A&A

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“…The classical, nonrelativistic cross section for absorption of a photon by an electron at rest in the ground state (n=0) (or in the rest frame of a moving electron) was derived by Blandford & Scharlemann (1976) …”

Section: Cyclotron Absorptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physics of strongly magnetized neutron stars

Harding¹,

Lai²

2006

Rep. Prog. Phys.

820

763

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Abstract. There has recently been growing evidence for the existence of neutron stars possessing magnetic fields with strengths that exceed the quantum critical field strength of 4.4 × 10 13 G, at which the cyclotron energy equals the electron rest mass. Such evidence has been provided by new discoveries of radio pulsars having very high spin-down rates and by observations of bursting gamma-ray sources termed magnetars. This article will discuss the exotic physics of this high-field regime, where a new array of processes becomes possible and even dominant, and where familiar processes acquire unusual properties. We review the physical processes that are important in neutron star interiors and magnetospheres, including the behavior of free particles, atoms, molecules, plasma and condensed matter in strong magnetic fields, photon propagation in magnetized plasmas, free-particle radiative processes, the physics of neutron star interiors, and field evolution and decay mechanisms. Application of such processes in astrophysical source models, including rotation-powered pulsars, soft gamma-ray repeaters, anomalous X-ray pulsars and accreting X-ray pulsars will also be discussed. Throughout this review, we will highlight the observational signatures of high magnetic field processes, as well as the theoretical issues that remain to be understood.

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“…The first theories have related the OPM-phenomenon to the cyclotron absorption (Manchester et al 1975) or induced scattering (Blandford & Scharlemann 1976) occasionally preferential for one of the modes. The early studies of the natural waves in pulsar plasma have led to a new view of the nature of OPM-transitions (Melrose 1979;Allen & Melrose 1982).…”

Section: Earlier Theoretical Approachesmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the origin of orthogonal polarization modes in pulsar radio emission

Petrova

2001

A&A

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Abstract. This paper is devoted to studying the conversion of ordinary superluminous waves into extraordinary waves in an ultrarelativistic highly magnetized plasma of pulsars. The conversion appears to take place in the region of quasi-longitudinal propagation with respect to the magnetic field. Although the propagation of waves in pulsar magnetospheres is generally quasi-transverse, due to refraction the wave vector can for a short while become nearly aligned with the ambient magnetic field. As a result of the conversion, the originally ordinary wave turns into two waves, the ordinary and extraordinary. It is found that at pulsar conditions the conversion of the ordinary waves can be significant, i.e. a considerable part of the energy can be transmitted to the extraordinary waves. The process is suggested to underlie the observed transitions between the orthogonal polarization states in pulsar radiation. The connection of conversion with magnetospheric refraction implies a number of observational consequences which agree well with the observed features of the orthogonally polarized modes. In particular, it becomes possible to explain both the longitudinal location of the prominent orthogonal transitions and the high-frequency depolarization of pulsar radiation. Further polarization evolution of the natural waves resulting from the conversion is investigated as well. It is found that the polarization-limiting effect can account for both the change in the sense of circular polarization during the orthogonal transitions and the non-orthogonality of the observed modes. It is shown that any technique of mode separation should allow for the consequences of the polarization-limiting effect.

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On the Scattering and Absorption of Electromagnetic Radiation within Pulsar Magnetospheres

Cited by 104 publications

References 6 publications

On the origin of giant pulses in radio pulsars

On the origin of giant pulses in radio pulsars

Physics of strongly magnetized neutron stars

On the origin of orthogonal polarization modes in pulsar radio emission

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