http://arxiv.org/abs/1604.05670
Using an analytic, axisymmetric approach that includes general relativity, coupled to a condition for pair production deduced from simulations, we derive general results about the spatial distribution of pair-producing field lines over the pulsar polar cap. In particular, we show that pair production by curvature photons on magnetic field lines operates over only a fraction of the polar cap for an aligned rotator for general magnetic field configurations, assuming the magnetic field varies spatially on a scale that is larger than the size of the polar cap. We compare our result to force-free simulations of a pulsar with a dipole surface field and find excellent agreement. Our work has implications for first-principles simulations of pulsar magnetospheres, and for explaining observations of pulsed radio and high-energy emission.
M. Belyaev and K. Parfrey
Wed, 20 Apr 16
11/71
Comments: 9 pages, 2 figures. Submitted to ApJ
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