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The Emission Physics of Millisecond Pulsars

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Millisecond Pulsars

Part of the book series: Astrophysics and Space Science Library ((ASSL,volume 465))

Abstract

Understanding the physics of rotation-powered millisecond pulsars (MSPs) presents a number of challenges compared to that of the non-recycled pulsar population. Even though their fast rotation rates can produce high spin-down power and accelerating electric fields, their relatively low surface magnetic fields make the production of electron-positron pairs required for radio emission difficult. The Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope has discovered pulsed γ-rays from a large fraction of the MSP population which have gamma-ray light curves surprisingly similar to those of young pulsars. However, their very compact magnetospheres enable magnetic fields at the light cylinder that are comparable to those of the most energetic pulsars. This fact and recent global magnetosphere models showing that particle acceleration takes place near and beyond the light cylinder, now makes the γ-rays from MSPs plausible. The large increase in binary systems harboring MSPs has revitalized the study of shock acceleration and high-energy emission in such systems, with many showing orbitally-modulated X-rays. This chapter will review the history and our current studies of the mechanisms for multiwavelength emission from MSPs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA

    Alice K. Harding

Authors
  1. Alice K. Harding
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  1. Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

    Sudip Bhattacharyya

  2. INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, Monte Porzio Catone, Roma, Italy

    Alessandro Papitto

  3. Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune, India

    Dipankar Bhattacharya

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Harding, A.K. (2022). The Emission Physics of Millisecond Pulsars. In: Bhattacharyya, S., Papitto, A., Bhattacharya, D. (eds) Millisecond Pulsars. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 465. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85198-9_3

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