Gamma-ray pulsars: What have we learned from ab-initio kinetic simulations?. (arXiv:1811.09215v1 [astro-ph.HE])
<a href="http://arxiv.org/find/astro-ph/1/au:+Cerutti_B/0/1/0/all/0/1">Benoît Cerutti</a>
The origin of the pulsed gamma-ray emission in pulsars remains an open issue.
The combination of sensitive observations in the GeV domain by AGILE and {em
Fermi}-LAT and increasingly sophisticated numerical simulations have recently
brought new insights into our understanding of the pulsed emission and particle
acceleration processes in pulsars. Particle-in-cell simulations of pulsar
magnetospheres show that the equatorial current sheet forming beyond the light
cylinder is the main culprit for magnetic dissipation, particle acceleration
and bright high-energy synchrotron radiation all together. The shinning current
sheet naturally results in a pulse of light each time the sheet crosses our
line of sight, which happens twice in most cases. Synthetic lightcurves present
robust features reminiscent of observed gamma-ray pulsars by the {em
Fermi}-LAT and AGILE, opening up new perspectives for direct comparison between
simulations and observations.
The origin of the pulsed gamma-ray emission in pulsars remains an open issue.
The combination of sensitive observations in the GeV domain by AGILE and {em
Fermi}-LAT and increasingly sophisticated numerical simulations have recently
brought new insights into our understanding of the pulsed emission and particle
acceleration processes in pulsars. Particle-in-cell simulations of pulsar
magnetospheres show that the equatorial current sheet forming beyond the light
cylinder is the main culprit for magnetic dissipation, particle acceleration
and bright high-energy synchrotron radiation all together. The shinning current
sheet naturally results in a pulse of light each time the sheet crosses our
line of sight, which happens twice in most cases. Synthetic lightcurves present
robust features reminiscent of observed gamma-ray pulsars by the {em
Fermi}-LAT and AGILE, opening up new perspectives for direct comparison between
simulations and observations.
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