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  • AB INITIO PULSAR MAGNETOSPH...
    Philippov, Alexander A; Spitkovsky, Anatoly

    Astrophysical journal. Letters, 04/2014, Letnik: 785, Številka: 2
    Journal Article

    We perform "first-principles" relativistic particle-in-cell simulations of aligned pulsar magnetosphere. We allow free escape of particles from the surface of a neutron star and continuously populate the magnetosphere with neutral pair plasma to imitate pair production. As pair plasma supply increases, we observe the transition from a charge-separated "electrosphere" solution with trapped plasma and no spin-down to a solution close to the ideal force-free magnetosphere with electromagnetically dominated pulsar wind. We calculate the magnetospheric structure, current distribution, and spin-down power of the neutron star. We also discuss particle acceleration in the equatorial current sheet.