Abstract
Pulsars are rotating neutron stars surrounded by strong magnetic fields and energetic particles. The structure of both the interior and exterior magnetosphere depends on the strength of the plasma source near the surface of the star. We start our analysis with magnetospheric models including pair-production as proposed by Sturrock, Ruderman and Sutherland, and Arons. In the light of these models, all neutron stars observed as pulsars must have relativistic magnetohydrodynamic wind exterior magnetospheres. Explicit solutions of the pulsar wind equation have so far only been obtained for monopole geometries. We present the most general axisymmetric theory for adiabatic pulsar winds including the gravitational background of the neutron star, the structure of the magnetic flux tube and finite pressure effects. These MHD equations can be reduced to a tractable set of equations consisting of the hot wind equation for the pair plasma and the relativistic Grad-SchlÜter-Shafranov (GSS) equation for the magnetic flux function. The structure of the solutions for the hot pair wind equation is discussed. We also show how self-consistent axisymmetric MHD magnetospheres can be constructed by simultaneous solutions of this pair wind equation and solutions of the GSS equation. In the case of young pulsars and of the millisecond pulsars, the escaping pair wind is terminated by a strong shock. Downstream of the shock, the flow decelerates and increases its pressure in order to match the boundary conditions imposed by the outer edge of the nebula. We discuss the jump conditions for those types of relativistic MHD shocks, which consist of a family of nested toroids as shown by the hard X-ray observations on the Crab nebula. This is in conflict with standard spherically symmetric models. We also apply these pulsar winds to millisecond pulsars in low mass binary systems, such as PSR 1957 + 20, where the pulsar wind is expected to form a shock front around the evaporating low mass companion star.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alpar, M.A., Cheng, A.F., Ruderman, M., Shaham, J.: 1982, Nature 300, 728
Anzer, U., Börner, G.: 1983, Astron. Astrophys. 122, 73
Appl, S., Camenzind, M.: 1988, Astron. Astrophys. 206, 258
Appl, S., Camenzind, M.: 1989, in Hot Spots in Extragalactic Radio Sources, ed. K. Meisenheimer, H.-J. Röser, Springer Proceedings (Springer-Verlag, Berlin)
Arnett, W.D., Bowers, RL.: 1977, Astrophys. J. Suppl. 33, 415
Arons, J.: 1979, Space Science Rev. 24, 437
Arons, J.: 1981, in Pulsars, IAU Symp. 95, ed. W. Sieber and R. Wielebinski (Reidel, Dordrecht), p. 69
Arons, J.: 1983, Astrophys. J. 266, 215
Arons, J.: 1987, in The Origin and Evolution of Neutron Stars, IAU Symp. 125, ed. D.J. Helfand and J.-H. Huang (Reidel, Dordrecht), p. 207
Aschenbach, B., Brinkmann, W.: 1975, Astron. Astrophys. 41, 147
Asseo, E., Kennel, F.C., Pellat, R: 1978, Astron. Astrophys. 65, 401
Asséo, E., Llobet, X., Schmidt, G.: 1980, Phys. Rev. A22, 1293
Asséo, E., Llobet, X., Pellat, R.: 1984, Astron. Astrophys. 139, 417
Bekenstein, J.D., Oron, E.: 1978, Phys. Rev. D18, 1809
Benford, G.: 1987, in Astrophysical Jets and. their Engines, ed. W. Kundt (Reidel, Dordrecht), p. 197
Beskin, V.S., Gurevich, A.V., Istomin, Ya.N.: 1988, Astrophys. Space Sci. 146, 205
Brinkmann, W., Aschenbach, B., Langmeier, A.: 1985, Nature 313, 662
Butterworth, E.M., Ipser, J.R.: 1976, Astrophys. J. 204, 200
Camenzind, M.: 1975, J. Math. Phys. 16, 1023
Camenzind, M.: 1982, in Accreting Neutron Stars, ed. W. Brinkmann, J. Tümper (Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, Garching), p. 156
Camenzind, M.: 1986a, Astron. Astrophys. 156, 137
Camenzind, M.: 1986b, Astron. Astrophys. 162, 32
Camenzind, M.: 1987a, Astron. Astrophys. 184, 341
Camenzind, M.: 1987b, in Interstellar Magnetic Fields, ed. R. Beck, R. Gräve, Springer Proceedings (Springer-Verlag, Berlin), p. 229
Camenzind, M.: 1988a, in High Energy Astrophysics, ed. G. BÖrner, Springer Proceedings (Springer-Verlag, Berlin)
Camenzind, M.: 1989a, in Accretion Disks and Magnetic Fields in Astrophysics, ed. G. Belvedere, Kluwer (Dordrecht), in press
Camenzind, M.: 1989b, in preperation
Camenzind, M., Endler, M.: 1989, to appear in Astron. Astrophys.
Carter, B.: 1973, in Black Holes, ed. C. DeWitt and B. DeWitt (Gordon and Breach, New York)
Chanmugam, G., Brecher, K.: 1987, Nature 329, 696
Coroniti, F.V., Kennel, C.F.: 1985, in The Crab Nebula and Related Supernova Remnants, ed. M.C. Kafatos, R.B.C. Henry (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge), p. 25
Cutler, C., Lindblom, L.: 1987, Astrophys. J. 314, 234
Daugherty, J.K., Harding, A.K.: 1982, Astrophys. J 252, 337
Deutsch, AJ, 1955, Ann. d’Astrophys. 18, 1
Emmering, RT., Chevalier, R.: 1987, Astrophys. J. 321, 334
Fitzpatrick, R, Mestel, L.: 1988a, MNRAS 232, 277
Fitzpatrick, R, Mestel, L.: 1988b, MNRAS 232, 303
Friedman, J.L.: 1978, Comm. Math. Phys. 62, 247
Friedman, J.L.: 1983, Phys. Rev. Letters 51, 11
Friedman, J.L., Schutz, B.F.: 1978, Astrophys. J. 222, 281
Friedman, J.L., Ipser, J.R., Parker, L.: 1986, Astrophys. J. 304, 115
Friedman, J.L., Imamura, J.N., Durisen, R.H., Parker, L.: 1988, Nature 336, 560
Fruchter, A.S., Stinebring, D.R., Taylor, J.H.: 1988, Nature 333, 237
Goldreich, P., Julian, W.H.: 1969, Astrophys. J. 157, 869
Gurevich, A.V., Istomin, Ya.N.: 1985, Soviet Phys. JETP 62, 1
Hartle, J.B.: 1967, Astrophys. J. 150, 1005
Hartle, J.B., Thome, K.S.: 1968, Astrophys. J. 153, 807
Jackson, J.D.: 1975, Classical Electrodynamics (J. Wiley Publ. Co., New York)
Jones, P.B.: 1983, MNRAS 204, 9
Kennel, C.F., Fujimura, F.S., Pellat, R: 1979, Space Science Rev. 24, 407
Kennel, C.F., FVijimura, F.S., Okamoto, I.: 1983, J. Astrophys. Geophys. Fluid Dyn. 26, 147
Kennel, C.F., Coroniti, F.V.: 1984a, Astrophys. J. 283, 694
Kennel, C.F., Coroniti, F.V.: 1984b, Astrophys. J. 283, 710
KluŹniak, W., Ruderman, M., Shaham, J., Tavani, M.: 1988, Nature 334, 225
Kundt, W.: 1985, Bull. Astr. Soc. India 13, 12
Kundt, W., Krotschek, E.: 1980, Astron. Astrophys. 83, 1
Lichnérowicz, A.: 1967, Relativistic Hydrodynamics and Magnetohydrodynamics (Benjamin Press, New York)
Lindblom, L.: 1986, Astrophys. J. 303, 146
Mestel, L., Wang, Y.-M.: 1982, MNRAS 198, 405
Mestel, L., Robertson, J.A., Wang, Y.-M., Westfold, K.C.: 1985, MNRAS 217, 443
Michel, F.C.: 1969, Astrophys. J. 157, 1183
Michel, F.C.: 1982, Rev. Mod. Phys. 54, 1
Michel, F.C.: 1983, Astrophys. J. 266, 188
Michel, F.C.: 1985, in The Crab Nebula and Related Supernova Remnants, ed. M.C. Kafatos and R.B.C. Henry (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge), p. 55
Okamoto, I.: 1978, Mon. Not. Roy. Astron. Soc. 185, 69
Pelling, R.M., Paciesas, W.S., Peterson, L.E., Makishima, K., Oda, M., Ogawara, Y., Miyamoto, S.: 1987, Astrophys. J. 319, 416
Phinney, E.S., Evans, C.R., Blandford, R.D., Kulkarni, S.R.: 1988, Nature 333, 832
Ray, A., Datta, B.: 1984, Astrophys. J. 282, 542
Rees, M.J., Gunn, J.E.: 1974, Mon. Not. Roy. Astron. Soc. 167, 1
Ricker, G.R., Scheepmaker, A., Ryckman, S.G., Ballantine, J.E., Doty, J.P., Downey, P.M., Lewin, W.H.G.: 1975, Astrophys. J. Lett. 197, L87
Ruderman, M.A., Sutherland, P.G.: 1975, Astrophys. J. 196, 51
Sakurai, T.: 1985, Astron. Astrophys. 152, 121
Scharlemann, E.T., Wagoner, R.V.: 1973, Astrophys. J. 182, 951
Shibata, S.: 1988, MNRAS 233, 405
Sturrock, P.A.: 1970, Nature 227, 465
Sturrock, P.A.: 1971, Astrophys. J. 164, 529
Tademaru, E.: 1973, Astrophys. J. 183, 625
Taylor, J.H., Stinebring, D.R.: 1986, Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 24, 285
Thorne, K.S., Price, R.H., MacDonald, D.A.: 1986, Black Holes: The Membrane Paradigm (Yale University Press, New Haven)
Ulm, 1982, Phys. Fluids 25, 1908
Ulm, Davidson, RC, 1980, Phys. Fluids 23, 813
Usov, V.V.: 1983, Nature 305, 409
Usov, V.V.: 1987, Astrophys. J. 320, 333
van den Bergh, S., Pritchet, C.J.: 1989, Astrophys. J. Lett. 338, L69
van den Heuvel, E.P.J., van Paradijs, J., Taam, R.E.: 1986, Nature 322, 153
van den Heuvel, E.P.J., van Paradijs, J.: 1988, Nature 334, 227
Wagoner, R.V.: 1984, Astrophys. J. 278, 345
White, N.E., Stella, L.: 1988, Nature 333, 708
Winske, D., Tanaka, M., Wu, C.S., Quest, K.B.: 1985, J. Geophys. Res. 90, 123
Wu, C.S.: 1982, Space Science Rev. 32, 83
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1990 Kluwer Academic Publishers
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Camenzind, M. (1990). 2D Relativistic Pulsar Winds From Rapidly Rotating Neutron Stars. In: Kundt, W. (eds) Neutron Stars and Their Birth Events. NATO ASI Series, vol 300. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0515-3_13
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0515-3_13
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-6718-8
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-0515-3
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive