Abstract
Pulsar emission should come primarily from the magnetic separatrix. Combining theory and observations, we show that force-free electrodynamics (FFE) gives an accurate description of the large-scale electromagnetic field in the magnetospheres of Crab-like pulsars. A robust prediction of FFE is the existence and stability of a singular current layer on the magnetic separatrix. We argue that most of the observed pulsar emission comes from this singular current layer.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | L69-L71 |
Journal | Astrophysical Journal |
Volume | 667 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 20 2007 |
Keywords
- Pulsars: general
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Space and Planetary Science