Pulsar death lines and death valley

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (263) References (18) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Pulsar Death Lines and Death Valley Chen, Kaiyou ; Ruderman, Malvin Abstract In most models of a spinning-down neutron star's magnetosphere, the star turns off as a radio pulsar when it can no longer produce electron-positron pairs. The period (P) at turnoff depends upon the magnitude and the structure of the star's surface magnetic field. Only the magnetic dipole component of this field (Bp) is inferred from the observed spin-down rate of a pulsar. Turnoff should occur in a Bp-P death valley with well-defined boundaries rather than a death line. It is argued that most of the additional higher energy pulsed flux from rapidly spinning pulsars like the Crab and Vela pulsars is a consequence of pair-production in the outer magnetosphere. The necessary parameters for sustaining pair production there leads to a separated death line, or possibly a death valley, which does not fall in the death valley of radio pulsars. Maximum high-enery gamma-ray luminosity and probably a quenching of radio emission are expected just above this death line is reached. This is compared to observations of canonical and millisecond radio pulsars and gamma-ray sources. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: January 1993 DOI: 10.1086/172129 Bibcode: 1993ApJ...402..264C Keywords: Neutron Stars; Pulsars; Stellar Evolution; Stellar Magnetic Fields; Astronomical Models; Gyromagnetism; Stellar Magnetospheres; Astrophysics; STARS: EVOLUTION; STARS: MAGNETIC FIELDS; STARS: NEUTRON; STARS: PULSARS: GENERAL full text sources ADS | data products SIMBAD (6)