THE EFFICIENCY OF GAMMA-RAY EMISSION FROM PULSARS

Authors
Citation
B. Rudak et J. Dyks, THE EFFICIENCY OF GAMMA-RAY EMISSION FROM PULSARS, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 295(2), 1998, pp. 337-343
Citations number
39
Categorie Soggetti
Astronomy & Astrophysics
ISSN journal
00358711
Volume
295
Issue
2
Year of publication
1998
Pages
337 - 343
Database
ISI
SICI code
0035-8711(1998)295:2<337:TEOGEF>2.0.ZU;2-C
Abstract
We present a modified scenario of gamma-ray emission from pulsars with in the framework of polar cap models. Our model incorporates the possi ble acceleration of electron-positron pairs created in magnetospheres, and their subsequent contribution to the gamma-ray luminosity L-gamma . It also reproduces the empirical trend in L gamma for seven pulsars detected with Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory (CGRO) experiments. At the same time it avoids basic difficulties faced by theoretical models wh en confronted with observational constraints. We show that the classic al and millisecond pulsars form two distinct branches in the L gamma - L-sd diagram (where L-sd is the spin-down luminosity). In particular, we explain why the millisecond pulsar J0437-4715 has not been detecte d with any of the CGRO instruments despite its very high position in t he ranking list of spin-down fluxes (i.e. L-sd/D-2, where D is a dista nce). The gamma-ray luminosity predicted for this particular object is about one order of magnitude below the upper limit set by EGRET.