Kinetic description of the Langmuir solitons in ultra-relativistic electron-positron plasmas

The nonlinear interaction between the high frequency Langmuir wave and the low frequency density fluctuation in ultrarelativistic isothermal electron positron plasmas is investigated from kinetic Vlasov equation. One dimensional Langmuir solitons are obtained, the width of which is so large that it is not relevant to the coherent pulsar radio emission.     

The production of electron-positron bunches in a pulsar magnetosphere and their thermal radioemission

It is shown that the high brightness temperature of pulsar radioemission, its sharp directivity and some general features of pulsar radiospectra can be obtained as a corollary of the general statistical regularities of motion of electron-positron bunches in a strong magnetic field. The production mechanism of the bunches is considered and their energy and sizes are estimated. In the presented pulsar model, the energy of accelerated electrons is estimated.     

Tearing instability in the pulsar magnetosphere

Equations governing the coupling of the scalar and vector potentials for a resistive electron-positron plasma in a strong magnetic field are derived. It is shown that in the presence of magnetic shear, a tearing instability may occur. The latter can lead to magnetic field line reconnection and the formation of magnetic islands which could affect the dynamics of the pulsar magnetosphere.     

Polarization transfer in a pulsar magnetosphere

Propagation of radio waves in the ultrarelativistic magnetized electron–positron plasma of a pulsar magnetosphere is considered. The polarization state of the original natural waves is found to vary markedly on account of the wave mode coupling and cyclotron absorption. The change is most pronounced when the regions of mode coupling and cyclotron resonance approximately coincide. In cases when the wave mode coupling occurs above and below the resonance region, the resultant polarization appears essentially distinct. The main result of the paper is that in the former case the polarization modes become non-orthogonal. The analytical treatment of the equations of polarization transfer is accompanied by numerical calculations. The observational consequences of polarization evolution in pulsar plasma are discussed as well.     

Electrostatic solitons in multispecies electron-positron plasmas

Acoustic solitons are investigated in electron-positron plasmas containing equal hot and cool components of both species. The hot components are isothermal Boltzmann distributed, the cool constituents are modelled by adiabatic fluids. The equations are integrated exactly in terms of a Sagdeev potential. Solitons are shown to be possible, but no double layers, due to the symmetry in the model. Bearing in mind the constraints imposed by the Boltzmann assumption, small amplitude solitons only are found. Such findings are relevant for different kinds of astrophysical plasmas, as well as for other types of similar acoustic solitons.     

Electron-positron pairs production in the pulsar magnetosphere

The case of an aligned rotator magnetosphere is considered. Provided the ions ejection from the neutron stellar surface is absent, the pulsar magnetosphere consists of two polar electron caps. The upper parts of the caps are unstable. Electrons precipitate from these parts, fall onto the star and are accelerated to Lorentz-factor 10⁶–10⁷. Electrons radiate -quanta in the direction of the star. These -quanta are converted into electron-positron pairs. The region of size, about 10 stellar radii, around the star appears to be filled with electron-positron plasma. The inflow of electron-positron plasma interacts with the electron gas of the polar cap. For this reason longitudinal plasma vibrations arise, and bunched outflows of electron-positron plasma appear.     

Energetics of the aligned pulsar magnetosphere

An energy analysis is performed on two explicit models, due to Jackson, of a pulsar with aligned magnetic and rotational axes. The unknown parameters of these models are determined by calculating the minimum total energy states of the models. It is found that the minimum energy analysis favors states with extended, dynamically active magnetospheres with a high degrees of corotation. By calculating total power input to the magnetosphere via collisions in the stellar crust, and the total power radiated due to azimuthal drift motion, it is determined that the minimum energy states are the only states where a power balance can be achieved. Consideration of a local power balance condition and dissipative flows in the magnetosphere shows that neither model is completely self-consistent, but one is considerably better than the other. Properties of both models and implications for other models are discussed.     

Self-modulation of pulsar radiation in strongly magnetized electron-positron plasmas

A nonlinear Schrödinger equation is obtained for linearly polarized electromagnetic waves propagating across the ambient magnetic field in an electron-positron plasma. The nonlinearities arising from wave intensity induced particle mass modulation, as well as harmonic generation are incorporated. Modulational instability and localization of pulsar radiation are investigated.     

Large amplitude solitons in a multi-species electron-positron plasma

Large amplitude solitons are investigated in an electron-positron plasma consisting of a hot and cold component for each charged species. The existence (and amplitudes) of the solitons are studied as a function of plasma parameters such as particle number densities and temperatures. Both compressive and rarefactive solitons are found to occur. Possible applications to pulsar magnetospheres are discussed.Also attached to Plasma Physics Research Institute, University of Natal, Durban, South Africa.     

The current sheets in the magnetosphere of a pulsar

This paper presents a possible emission mechanism based on the idea of the current sheet of magnetohydrodynamics. Since the excited plasma turbulences result in the anomalous resistance near the light cylinder of a pulsar, the frozen-in condition is partly dissolved. In addition the magnetic field lines in that area cannot perfectly corotate with the star due to the relativistic effect on partly frozen-in charged particles. Therefore, the currents sheets which emit energy are formed.     

A novel look at the pulsar force-free magnetosphere

The stationary axisymmetric force-free magnetosphere of a pulsar is considered. We present an exact dipolar solution of the pulsar equation, construct the magnetospheric model on its basis and examine its observational support. The new model has toroidal rather than common cylindrical geometry, in line with that of the plasma outflow observed directly as the pulsar wind nebula at much larger spatial scale. In its new configuration, the axisymmetric magnetosphere consumes the neutron star rotational energy much more efficiently, implying re-estimation of the stellar magnetic field, \(B_{\mathrm{new}}^{0}=3.3\times10^{-4}B/P\), where \(P\) is the pulsar period. Then the 7-order scatter of the magnetic field derived from the rotational characteristics of the pulsars observed appears consistent with the \(\cot\chi\)-law, where \(\chi\) is a random quantity uniformly distributed in the interval \([0,\pi/2]\). Our result is suggestive of a unique actual magnetic field strength of the neutron stars along with a random angle between the magnetic and rotational axes and gives insight into the neutron star unification on the geometrical basis.     

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.     

Cassini Langmuir probe measurements in the inner magnetosphere of Saturn

In the inner magnetosphere of Saturn, the plasma density and drift velocity are high enough, and the photoelectron current low enough, for a Langmuir probe to produce useful data on ion parameters. Plasma density and velocity are found by analyzing the current due to collected ions and emitted photoelectrons for a negative probe potential. In order to correctly analyze the data, the current caused by photoelectrons emitted from the probe must be known. For a spherical probe at negative bias this should be a constant current, but for Cassini's probe it varies with attitude. A likely cause of this is a leakage current from the stub to the probe. The plasma drift velocities derived from Langmuir probe measurements did not agree with those found by the Cassini plasma spectrometer in the inner magnetosphere, but did so elsewhere. A possible solution to this is a two-component plasma where the components have different drift velocities.     

Non-stationary pair plasma in a pulsar magnetosphere and the two-stream Instability

We test a new emission mechanism in pulsar magnetospheres, eventually responsible in part for the high level of observed radio radiation. This is carried out by comparing the efficiency of the two-stream instability of Langmuir waves in a pulsar emission region, where the stationary and non-stationary characters of pair plasma outflows produced in the gap region are characterized by two different time-scales. On the shorter time-scale, the Ruderman &38; Sutherland 'sparking' phenomenon leads to the creation of pair plasma clouds, in motion along magnetic field lines, that contain particles with a large spectrum of momenta. The overlapping of particles with different energies produced in successive clouds results in an efficient 'two stream'-like instability. This effect is a consequence of the non-stationary character of the pair plasma produced in the gap region, just above the magnetic poles of the neutron star. On a long time-scale, resulting pair plasma outflows in pulsar magnetospheres can be treated as stationary. In this case, the instability which results from interaction between existing primary beam particles and the pair plasma is negligible, whereas the instability owing to interaction between electrons and positrons of the pair plasma itself, and more precisely to their relative drift motion along curved magnetic field lines, is effective. We derive characteristic features of the triggered instability, using specific distribution functions to describe either particles in the assembly of clouds or relative drifting of electrons and positrons in these same plasma clouds. Although linear and local, our treatment suggests that non-stationary effects may compete with, or even dominate over, drifting effects in parts of pulsar emission regions.     

On a klystron mechanism of generation of vibrations in pulsar magnetosphere

It has been shown that vibrations can be generated in the electron cap of the neutron star (Rylov, 1976, 1977; Jackson, 1976) under certain conditions. The mechanism of generation is like that in a klystron. The electron gas of the cap plays the role of the klystron resonant circuit. The electron beam penetrating the electron cap and returning to the star's surface plays the role of the klystron electron beam. The bunching electron stream along the magnetic axis acts like a strongly directed antenna. The conditions in which it is possible to generate these vibrations were also investigated. The energy of the accelerated primary electrons, the frequency of radiated radiowaves and the degree of the radiation directivity are evaluated.     

Electrostatic drift vortices in a hot rotating strongly magnetized electron-positron pulsar plasma

Electrostatic drift wave in a hot rotating and strongly magnetized electron-positron pulsar plasma is considered. Using relativistic two fluid equations a pair of coupled nonlinear equations is derived. It is shown that the wave can propagate in the form of two-dimensional dipolar vortices at ultrarelativistic temperature (Tmc ²) of the plasma. The latter may affect the energy transport in the hot plasma, which can lead to a new turbulent state in the pulsar magnetosphere.     

On the self-consistent model of an axisymmetric radio pulsar magnetosphere

We consider a model of axisymmetric neutron star magnetospheres. In our approach, the current density in the region of open field lines is constant and the returning current flows in a narrow layer along the separatrix. In this case, the stream equation describing the magnetic field structure is linear both in the open and closed regions; the main problem is matching the solutions along the separatrix. We demonstrate that it is the stability condition on the separatrix that allows us to obtain a unique solution of the problem. In particular, the zero point of magnetic field is shown to be located near the light cylinder. Moreover, the hypothesis of the existence of the non-linear Ohm's Law, connecting the potential drop in the pair creation region and the longitudinal electric current flowing in the magnetosphere, is confirmed.