| Issue |
A&A
Volume 442, Number 2, November I 2005
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Page(s) | 579 - 586 | |
| Section | Stellar structure and evolution | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20053143 | |
| Published online | 07 October 2005 | |
The coughing pulsar magnetosphere
200 Akti Themistokleous Str., Piraeus 18539, Greece e-mail: icontop@academyofathens.gr
Received:
28
March
2005
Accepted:
28
June
2005
Polar magnetospheric gaps consume a fraction of the electric potential that develops across open field lines. This effect modifies significantly the structure of the axisymmetric pulsar magnetosphere. We present numerical steady-state solutions for various values of the gap potential. We show that a charge starved magnetosphere contains significantly less electric current than one with freely available electric charges. As a result, electromagnetic neutron star braking becomes inefficient. We argue that the magnetosphere may spontaneously rearrange itself to a lower energy configuration through a dramatic release of electromagnetic field energy and magnetic flux. Our results might be relevant in understanding the recent December 27, 2004 burst observed in SGR 1806-20.
Key words: magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) / pulsars: general / stars: magnetic fields / gamma ray: bursts
© ESO, 2005
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