Radio Emission and Electric Gaps in Pulsar Magnetospheres
- Resource Type
- article
- Authors
- Ashley Bransgrove; Andrei M. Beloborodov; Yuri Levin
- Source
- The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol 958, Iss 1, p L9 (2023)
- Subject
- Radio pulsars
Gamma-rays
Plasma astrophysics
Magnetic fields
Astrophysics
QB460-466
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2041-8213
2041-8205
The origin of pulsar radio emission is one of the old puzzles in theoretical astrophysics. In this Letter, we present a global kinetic plasma simulation that shows from first principles how and where radio emission can be produced in pulsar magnetospheres. We observe the self-consistent formation of electric gaps that periodically ignite electron-positron discharge. The gaps form above the polar cap and in the bulk return current. Discharge of the gaps excites electromagnetic modes, which share several features with the radio emission of real pulsars. We also observe the excitation of plasma waves and charge bunches by beam instabilities in the outer magnetosphere. Our numerical experiment demonstrates that global kinetic models can provide deep insight into the emission physics of pulsars and may help interpret their multiwavelength observations.