The influence of magnetospheric refraction on the apparent spatial structure of a pulsar emission region

The refraction of ordinary superluminous waves in a pulsar plasma is considered. The effect is found essentially to influence the apparent spatial structure of a pulsar emission region. This is of particular importance for the interpretation of the observations of pulsar interstellar scintillations, which provide an opportunity of resolving the magnetospheres of nearby pulsars. When calculated with account for magnetospheric refraction, the dependence of transverse ray separation on pulse longitude appears to be similar to that inferred by means of interstellar interferometry. It is shown that the differences in the character of the dependences observed at various frequencies may be attributed to the frequency-dependent efficiency of refraction. Taking into account magnetospheric refraction makes it necessary to reconsider the estimate of the emission altitude derived from the apparent size of the emission region. The renewed estimate appears to be almost an order of magnitude less, so that it is consistent with the emission altitudes obtained by other methods.