Mechanisms of optical,X-ray andγ-radiation from Crab pulsar

The synchrotron mechanism of radiation from the Crab pulsar has been investigated on the assumption that the mechanism acts in a source moving with relativistic velocity round a neutron star. A detailed matching has been made of the theoretical spectra of synchrotron radiation from relativistic electrons with the results of measurements of the radiation flux from the Crab pulsar in the infrared, optical and X-ray ranges. The parameters of the radiating region (intensity of the magnetic field, source dimensions, density and lifetime of radiating electrons) have been found. They are expressed through the ratio of the energy density of the magnetic field in the source to that of radiating electrons. The level of Compton-radiation in this region is estimated. Possible values of at which the level will correspond to the available results of measurements of the-radiation flux from the Crab pulsar are given. An estimate is presented for the surface magnetic field of the neutron star which does not contradict those obtained from considerations of the magnetic flux conservation when compressing the object up to the neutron star dimensions.     

Non-thermal emission from Vela X and PWN G0.9＋0.1

We study the multi-waveband non-thermal emission from the pulsar wind neb- ulae (PWNe) Vela X and G0.9 + 0.1 in the frame of a time-dependent model describing non-thermal radiation from the PWNe. In such a model, the relativistic wind of parti- cles driven by a central pulsar blows into the ambient medium and creates a termination shock that accelerates the particles to very high energy in a PWN. The non-thermal pho-tons in the PWN are produced both by synchrotron radiation and the inverse Compton process, with electrons coming directly from the pulsar magnetosphere and electrons be- ing accelerated at the termination shock. We apply this model to reproduce the observed multi-waveband photon spectra of Vela X and the G0.9+0.1, both of which have been detected emitting very high energy photons. Our results indicate that TeV photons are produced by the inverse Compton scattering of the high-energy electrons in the infrared photon field in both Vela X and PWN G0.9+0.1. The TeV photons from these two PWNe may have leptonic origins.     

‘Time-integrated” synchrotron radiation in high-energy astrophysics

We survey the observational data on infrared, optical and X-radiation sources associated with energetic cosmic events, and note the occurrence of an apparently preferred value of the spectral index,n=1, for the radiation continua. We review the essentials of standard synchrotron radiation theory; the conventional interpretation of the observational data in terms of an energy distribution of electrons injected into a constant, low valued magnetic field; and the somewhat unsatisfactory attempts that can be made to explain this electron energy distribution in terms of the Fermi acceleration mechanism. We examine the evidence for the presence in the radiation sources of high magnetic fields, which cause evolution of the synchrotron radiation power spectrum to occur. We work out the consequences of this evolution, and obtain a new form of synchrotron radiation theory, which we describe astime-integrated synchrotron radiation theory, the particular advantage of which is that it is able to give a unique value (n=1/2 of the spectral index for radiation produced by a single high energy electron, independently of the initial electron energy. We consider the consequences of there being a distribution of magnetic field values in a radiation source; and in particular we consider a uniform distribution (in which all values are equally probable), which is capable of producing the required spectral indexn=1. We show that this uniform distribution can be explained in terms of a model in which there exist condensations of material containing high magnetic fields and within which electrons can be generatedin situ, through the familiar pion production and decay processes. We also consider systems in which electrons in a radiation source have injection patterns that enable the radiation continua to be interpreted in terms of time-integrated synchrotron radiation theory, originally devised for a single electron. We apply these considerations to sources of optical and higher frequency radiation; we also show that they have limited application to certain types of radio source. We suggest in conclusion that the condensations that feature in our model could act as basic units of structure for complex radiation sources associated with different types of energetic cosmic event, and that therein could lie the clue to the evident similarity of their radiation continua.     

The Crab Nebula: Interpretation of Chandra observations

We interpret the observed X-ray morphology of the central part of the Crab Nebula (torus + jets) in terms of the standard theory by Kennel and Coroniti (1984). The only new element is the inclusion of anisotropy in the energy flux from the pulsar in the theory. In the standard theory of relativistic winds, the Lorentz factor of the particles in front of the shock that terminates the pulsar relativistic wind depends on the polar angle as γ = γ₀ + γ _m sin² θ, where γ₀∼200 and γ_m∼4.5×10⁶. The plasma flow in the wind is isotropic. After the passage of the pulsar wind through the shock, the flow becomes subsonic with a roughly constant (over the plerion volume) pressure P=1/3;n∈ where n is the plasma particle density and ∈ is the mean particle energy. Since ∈∼γmc ², a low-density region filled with the most energetic electrons is formed near the equator. A bright torus of synchrotron radiation develops here. Jet-like regions are formed along the pulsar rotation axis, where the particle density is almost four orders of magnitude higher than that in the equatorial plane, because the particle energy there is four orders of magnitude lower. The energy of these particles is too low to produce detectable synchrotron radiation. However, these quasijets become comparable in brightness to the torus if additional particle acceleration takes place in the plerion. We also present the results of our study of the hydrodynamic interaction between an anisotropic wind and the interstellar medium. We compare the calculated and observed distributions of the volume emissivity of X-ray radiation.     

Radio-to-TeV γ-ray emission from PSR B1259–63

We discuss the implications of the recent X-ray and TeV γ-ray observations of the PSR B1259–63 system (a young rotation powered pulsar orbiting a Be star) for the theoretical models of interaction of pulsar and stellar winds. We show that previously considered models have problems to account for the observed behaviour of the system. We develop a model in which the broad band emission from the binary system is produced in result of collisions of GeV–TeV energy protons accelerated by the pulsar wind and interacting with the stellar disk. In this model the high energy γ-rays are produced in the decays of secondary neutral pions, while radio and X-ray emission are synchrotron and inverse Compton emission produced by low-energy (≤100 MeV) electrons from the decays of secondary charged π ^± mesons. This model can explain not only the observed energy spectra, but also the correlations between TeV, X-ray and radio emission components.      

Nonstationary radio luminosity of the remnant of Supernova 1181 (3C 58)

We measured the flux densities of the radio source 3C 58, which was identified with the remnant of SN 1181, in April–May 2003 relative to the spectrum of the standard source 3C 295 at fourf requencies in the range 1550 to 8450 MHz using the RTF-32 radio telescope at the Svetloe Observatory of the Institute of Applied Astronomy (Russian Academy of Sciences). We found significant nonstationary frequency-dependent flux-density variations in 3C 58 and variations in its instantaneous spectrum. We established that these variations occurred between 1986 and 1998. Based on data for the instantaneous spectra, we show that the break in the spectrum of 3C 58 results from prolonged energy losses by relativistic electrons through synchrotron radiation that took place in a nebula with an age of 5400 yr, equal to the age of the pulsar PSR J0205+6449. SN 1181 is shown to have exploded without the birth of a pulsar, which is characteristic of type-I supernovae. The shock acceleration of relativistic electrons after the explosion may be responsible for the observed nonstantionarity of the flux densities. The long-term evolution of the radio spectrum for the nebula 3C 58 and the nonstationary flux-density variations due to the explosion of SN 1181 are reconciled in terms of a model of an evolved binary system.     

Synchrotron self-Compton models of high brightness temperature radio sources

We re-examine the maximum brightness temperature that a synchrotron source can sustain by adapting standard synchrotron theory to an electron distribution that exhibits a deficit at low energy. The absence of low energy electrons reduces the absorption of synchrotron photons, allowing the source to reach a higher brightness temperature without the onset of catastrophic cooling. We find that a temperature of ∼10¹⁴ K is possible at GHz frequencies. In addition, a high degree of intrinsic circular polarisation is produced. We compute the stationary, synchrotron and self-Compton spectrum arising from the continuous injection of such a distribution (modelled as a double power-law) balanced by radiative losses and escape, and compare it with the simultaneously observed multi-wavelength spectrum of the BL Lac object S5 0716+714. This framework may provide an explanation of other high brightness-temperature sources without the need for mechanisms such as coherent emission or proton synchrotron radiation.     

Temperature dependent variation of pulsar periods

Changes in the radii of neutron stars due to variations in core temperature are studied qualitatively in a simple model. The resulting irregular changes in pulsar periods are compared with observed values. For the millisecond pulsar PSR 1937 + 214 the random changes in period due to temperature variation is estimated to be of the order of 10^-14s yr^-1 which is two orders of magnitude smaller than the steady variation due to loss of energy by radiation.     

HESS J1616−508: likely to be powered by PSR J1617−5055

HESS J1616−508 is one of the brightest emitters in the TeV sky. Recent observations with the IBIS/ISGRI telescope onboard the INTEGRAL spacecraft have revealed that a young, nearby and energetic pulsar, PSR J1617−5055, is a powerful emitter of soft γ-rays in the 20–100 keV domain. In this paper, we present an analysis of all available data from the INTEGRAL , Swift , BeppoSAX and XMM–Newton telescopes with a view to assessing the most likely counterpart to the High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS) source. We find that the energy source that fuels the X/γ-ray emissions is derived from the pulsar, both on the basis of the positional morphology, the timing evidence and the energetics of the system. Likewise the 1.2 per cent of the pulsar's spin-down energy loss needed to power the 0.1–10 TeV emission is also fully consistent with other HESS sources known to be associated with pulsars. The relative sizes of the X/γ-ray and very high energy sources are consistent with the expected lifetimes against synchrotron and Compton losses for a single source of parent electrons emitted from the pulsar. We find that no other known object in the vicinity could be reasonably considered as a plausible counterpart to the HESS source. We conclude that there is good evidence to assume that the HESS J1616−508 source is driven by PSR J1617−5055 in which a combination of synchrotron and inverse-Compton processes combine to create the observed morphology of a broad-band emitter from keV to TeV energies.     

On a possible model of the object Cyg X-3

According to the proposed model of the Cyg X-3, it should be recognized as a binary system consisting of a pulsar and an usual star. The plasma with the frozen-in field flows out from the star. The electromagnetic continuous spectrum in the range from radio to gamma radiation owes its origin to the interaction of electrons accelerated by a pulsar with the magnetic field of the stream. The influence of the inverse Compton effect on the spectral distribution of radiation has been considered by the numerical calculations of a system of kinetic equations. The calculations show remarkable agreement with the measurements, if the particle energy spectrum is expressed as dN/dE=AE ^–2.2. The lower limit of the accelerated particle energy equals approximately 10^–2 erg.The situation of the peak of gamma-quantum radiation of very high energy in respect to the minimum in the X-ray radiation can be explained in terms of the suggested model.     

Inverse compton emission of gamma rays near the pulsar surface

The physical conditions near pulsar surface that might give rise to gamma ray emission from Crab and Vela pulsars are not yet well understood. Here I suggest that, in the context of the vacuum discharge mechanism proposed by Ruderman and Sutherland (1975), gamma rays are produced by inverse Compton scattering of secondary electrons with the thermal radiation of the star surface as well as for curvature and synchrotron radiation. It is found that inverse Compton scattering is relevant if the neutron star surface temperature is greater than 10⁶K or if the polar cap temperature is of the order of 5×10⁶K. Inverse Compton scattering in anisotropic photon fields and Klein-Nishina regime is here carefully considered.     

Restrictions on the short time constant astrophysics

The comparatively new field of short time-constant astrophysics is investigated with the aim of checking the statement that there is a maximum amount of electromagnetic energy which can be radiated at a frequencev _m by an object whose size isL and during a time Δτ. Such limits are found under the assumptions that the emission is isotropic, thatL?cΔτ, and for the following four radiation mechanisms: incoherent synchrotron radiation, synchrotron maser, antenna radiation and for one simple case of radiation by a turbulent plasma. These limits are compared and found to be consistent with experimental data referring to the Sun, the pulsar NP 0532, the Quasar 3C 273 and the Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151. The main conclusion is that extragalactic radio astronomy at the present sensitivity level of observations is not likely to allow for the detection of pulses lasting less than 0.1 s.     

Coherent Synchrotron Radiation of Gamma-Ray Bursts

By now there is no doubt that the gamma-ray bursts (GRB) have a cosmological origin. This allows to regard GRB as the most powerful known energy sources, ε∼ 10⁵⁴ erg (with a total number of gamma quanta N_γ∼ 10⁶⁰). A plausible mechanism of coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) of relativistic electrons driven by a local magnetic field is studied in this paper. We consider relativistic electrons arising in the Compton scattering of a GRB in directions close to that of the ray from the source to a ground-based observer. The synchrotron pulses from Compton electrons located at different points on the line between the GRB source and the observer arrive at the observation point simultaneously. This simultaneity ensures the coherence of the detected radiation. Both molecular clouds in the host galaxy of the GRB and our own Galaxy, as well as the Earth atmosphere are assumed to be scatterers of the GRB radiation. Signals of each scatterer reach the Earth surface, and can be detected at radio wavelengths. We estimate the characteristics of this radiation. The comparison of GRB data with the corresponding information on CSR pulses offers a way to determine some global characteristics of the medium between the Earth and the GRB source.     

Influence of electron-positron pair production on a pulsar magnetospheric structure

A self-consistent pulsar magnetospheric model with electron-positron pair production is considered. Unlike conventional models, the primary particles (electrons) are accelerated towards the neutron star and their curvature radiation towards a star generates electron-positron plasma near the neutron star. Inside an outflow channel, the generated plasma flows away from the pulsar magnetosphere. A part of the plasma electrons returns and, being accelerated towards the star, regenerate the plasma by their curvature radiation. It is shown that plasma production near the star causes an appearance of positron and electron equatorial belts. The plasma concentration and the flux of the returning electrons are estimated. The portion of the energy entering into the pulsar magnetosphere and its dependence on pulsar parameters are estimated.     

Energetics of galactic nuclei

A model of compact galactic nuclei in statistical equilibrium was developed in [L. Sh. Grigorian and G. S. Sahakian, Astrofizika (in press)]. It was shown that they should consist predominantly of neutron stars (pulsars) and white dwarfs. The problem of the energy reserves of galactic nuclei is discussed in terms of this concept. The mechanism of conversion of a white dwarf into a neutron star due to the accretion of interstellar matter is considered. This means that a galactic nucleus has an energy reserve of some 5·10⁶⁰ N₈ erg (N is the number of stars in the nucleus). It is shown that galactic nuclei are powerful sources of hard γ radiation [power L » 2·10⁴⁴µ₃₀N₈(Ω/50)^17/7 erg/sec, where µ is the magnetic moment and Ω is the angular rotation rate of a neutron star ] due to curvature radiation from relativistic electron fluxes flowing along channels of open magnetic field lines of pulsars. The x-ray and ultraviolet emission are due to synchrotron emission from the same electron fluxes in the magnetic field of the galactic nucleus (L » 10⁴²-10⁴⁴ erg/sec). The optical (visible and infrared) and radio emission are due to bremsstrahlung from electrons in the interstellar medium [L » 6·10⁴⁶N ₈ ² (5/R_pc)³ erg/sec, where R is the radius of the galactic nucleus]. An equation is obtained for the magnetic moment of a pulsar: µ ≈ 3.4·10^-5L_γP^17/7, where P is the pulsar’s period and L_03B3; is the luminosity of the pulsar’s y radiation.     

Precise Synchrotron Radiation Spectrum of Fast-cooling Electrons and the Prompt GRB Emission

It is generally believed that the synchrotron radiation of electrons from the internal shock is the main radiation mechanism of the prompt GRB (gamma-ray burst) emission. However, what this model predicts can not explain observations well. In this paper, we confirm that electrons are quickly cooled due to radiation losses and also point out that the synchrotron radiation spectrum presented in previous papers is a relatively rough estimation. We get the precise synchrotron radiation spectrum of fast-cooling electrons by carrying out a numerical calculation, and thereby reasonably explain the observed distribution of low-energy spectral index (α) of long GRBs based on a unified model. In addition, we fit the correlation between α and the peak energy of the νFν spectrum (E_p).     

关于脉冲星非共转模型的研究

本文讨论了共轴、纯转动、force-free的脉冲星系统,在Burman理论基础上建立了一个非共转模型(其中含待定参量,共转情况是它的特例)。利用系统稳定的近似条件——系统能量最小确定特定参量,得到一个与G-J模型类似的共转模型。由于考虑了惯性效应,不存在星风,是稳定态,但没有辐射。在转轴与磁矩有小偏角时,利用非平衡系统更普遍的稳定条件——熵产生最小,确定本模型的参量,得到的辐射能量在量级上与观测值相符合。     

Synchrotron radiation of a pulsar wind

We predict the synchrotron radiation from transient pulsars. The radiation is generated under the interaction of the magneto-dipole radiation with the relativistic electron-positron wind just after switching off of a radio pulsar. We calculate the spectrum and the flux of this radiation. The synchrotron radiation is estimated to observe from two nulling pulsars B1929+10 and B0656+14 on the level of several tens mJansky. The observed bright spiky emission of B0656+14 by Weltevrede et al. (Astron. Astrophys. 458:269, 2006) allows us to suggest that it has synchrotron nature. Observation of the synchrotron radiation gives possibility to determine the pulsar magnetic field and parameters and geometry of the pulsar wind.     

Is the GeV-TeV emission of PKS 0447-439 from the proton synchrotron radiation?

We study the multi-wavelength emission features of PKS 0447-439 in the frame of the one-zone homogeneous lepto-hadronic model. In this model, we assumed that the steady power-laws with exponential cut-offs distributions of protons and electrons are injected into the source. The non-linear time-dependent kinematic equations, describing the evolution of protons, electrons and photons, are defined; these equations self-consistently involve synchrotron radiation of protons, photon-photon interaction, synchrotron radiation of electron/positron pairs, inverse Compton scattering and synchrotron self-absorption. The model is applied to reproduce the multi-wavelength spectrum of PKS 0447-439. Our results indicate that the spectral energy distribution (SED) of PKS 0447-439 can be reproduced well by the model. In particular, the GeV-TeV emission is produced by the synchrotron radiation of relativistic protons. The physically plausible solutions require the magnetic strength \(10~\text{G}\lesssim B \lesssim 100~\text{G}\). We found that the observed spectrum of PKS 0447-439 can be reproduced well by the model whether \(z = 0.16\) or \(z = 0.2\), and the acceptable upper limit of redshift is \(z=0.343\).     

On timing and spectral characteristics of the X-ray pulsar 4U 0115+63: Evolution of the pulsation period and the cyclotron line energy

An overview of the results of observations for the transient X-ray pulsar 4U 0115+63, amember of a binary system with a Be star, since its discovery to the present day (～40 years) based on data from more than dozen observatories and instruments is presented. An overall light curve and the history of change in the spin frequency of the neutron star over the entire history of its observations, which also includes the results of recent measurements made by the INTEGRAL observatory during the 2004, 2008, and 2011 outbursts, are provided. The source’s energy spectra have also been constructed from the INTEGRAL data obtained during the 2011 outburst for a dynamic range of its luminosities 10³⁷?7 × 10³⁷ erg s^?1. We show that apart from the fundamental harmonic of the cyclotron absorption line at energy～11 keV, its four higher harmonics at energies ?24, 35.6, 48.8, and 60.7 keV are detected in the spectrum. We have performed a detailed analysis of the source’s spectra in the 4–28 keV energy band based on all of the available RXTE archival data obtained during bright outbursts in 1995–2011. We have confirmed that modifying the source’s continuum model can lead to the disappearance of the observed anticorrelation between the energy of the fundamental harmonic of the cyclotron absorption line and the source’s luminosity. Thus, the question about the evolution of the cyclotron absorption line energy with the luminosity of the X-ray pulsar 4U 0115+63 remains open and a physically justified radiation model for X-ray pulsars is needed to answer it.