An official website of the United States government
Abstract The origin of pulsar radio emission is one of the old puzzles in theoretical astrophysics. In this Letter, we present a global kinetic plasma simulation that shows from first principles how and where radio emission can be produced in pulsar magnetospheres. We observe the self-consistent formation of electric gaps that periodically ignite electron-positron discharge. The gaps form above the polar cap and in the bulk return current. Discharge of the gaps excites electromagnetic modes, which share several features with the radio emission of real pulsars. We also observe the excitation of plasma waves and charge bunches by beam instabilities in the outer magnetosphere. Our numerical experiment demonstrates that global kinetic models can provide deep insight into the emission physics of pulsars and may help interpret their multiwavelength observations.
more »
« less
Chiral anomalous processes in magnetospheres of pulsars and black holes
Abstract We propose that chirally asymmetric plasma can be produced in the gap regions of the magnetospheres of pulsars and black holes. We show that, in the case of supermassive black holes situated in active galactic nuclei, the chiral charge density and the chiral chemical potential are very small and unlikely to have any observable effects. In contrast, the chiral asymmetry produced in the magnetospheres of magnetars can be substantial. It can trigger the chiral plasma instability that, in turn, can lead to observable phenomena in magnetars. In particular, the instability should trigger circularly polarized electromagnetic radiation in a wide window of frequencies, spanning from radio to near-infrared. As such, the produced chiral charge has the potential to affect some features of fast radio bursts.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 1713950
- PAR ID:
- 10371496
- Publisher / Repository:
- Springer Science + Business Media
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- The European Physical Journal C
- Volume:
- 82
- Issue:
- 7
- ISSN:
- 1434-6052
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Abstract Magnetospheres of neutron stars can be perturbed by star quakes, interaction in a binary system, or sudden collapse of the star. The perturbations are typically in the kilohertz band and excite magnetohydrodynamic waves. We show that compressive magnetospheric waves steepen into monster shocks, possibly the strongest shocks in the Universe. The shocks are radiative, i.e., the plasma energy is radiated before it crosses the shock. As the kilohertz wave with the radiative shock expands through the magnetosphere, it produces a bright X-ray burst. Then, it launches an approximately adiabatic blast wave, which will expand far from the neutron star. These results suggest a new mechanism for X-ray bursts from magnetars and support the connection of magnetar X-ray activity with fast radio bursts. Similar shocks may occur in magnetized neutron-star binaries before they merge, generating an X-ray precursor of the merger. Powerful radiative shocks are also predicted in the magnetosphere of a neutron star when it collapses into a black hole, producing a bright X-ray transient.more » « less
-
Quantum electrodynamic (QED) plasmas, describing the intricate interplay of strong-field QED and collective pair plasma effects, play pivotal roles in astrophysical settings like those near black holes or magnetars. However, the creation of observable QED plasmas in laboratory conditions was thought to require ultra-intense lasers beyond the capabilities of existing technologies, hindering experimental verification of QED plasma theories. This paper provides a comprehensive review of recent studies outlining a viable approach to create and detect observable QED plasmas by combining existing electron beam facilities with state-of-the-art lasers. The collision between a high-density 30 GeV electron beam and a 3 PW laser initiates a QED cascade, resulting in a pair plasma with increasing density and decreasing energy. These conditions contribute to a higher plasma frequency, enabling the observation of ∼0.2% laser frequency upshift. This solution of the joint production-observation problem should facilitate the near-term construction of ultra-intense laser facilities both to access and to observe the realm of strong-field QED plasmas.more » « less
-
We investigate the emission of circularly polarized photons from a magnetized quark-gluon plasma with nonzero quark-number and chiral charge chemical potentials. These chemical potentials qualitatively influence the differential emission rates of circularly polarized photons. A nonzero net electric charge density, induced by quark-number chemical potentials, enhances the overall emission of one circular polarization over the other, while a nonzero chiral charge density introduces a spatial asymmetry in the emission with respect to reflection in the transverse plane. The signs of the electrical and chiral charge densities determine which circular polarization dominates overall and whether the emission preferentially aligns with or opposes the magnetic field. Based on these findings, we propose that polarized photon emission is a promising observable for characterizing the quark-gluon plasma produced in heavy-ion collisions. Published by the American Physical Society2024more » « less
-
ABSTRACT We reconsider the escape of high-brightness coherent emission of fast radio bursts (FRBs) from magnetars’ magnetospheres, and conclude that there are numerous ways for the powerful FRB pulse to avoid non-linear absorption. Sufficiently strong surface magnetic fields, $$\ge 10{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$$ of the quantum field, limit the waves’ non-linearity to moderate values. For weaker fields, the electric field experienced by a particle is limited by a combined ponderomotive and parallel-adiabatic forward acceleration of charges by the incoming FRB pulse along the magnetic field lines newly opened during FRB/coronal mass ejection. As a result, particles surf the weaker front part of the pulse, experiencing low radiative losses, and are cleared from the magnetosphere for the bulk of the pulse to propagate. We also find that initial mildly relativistic radial plasma flow further reduces losses.more » « less
