Constraining Pulsar Gap Models with the Lightcurve and Flux Properties of Gamma-ray Pulsar Population

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

2011

Publication Source

Radio Pulsars: An Astrophysical Key to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe: AIP Conference Proceedings

Volume Number

1357

First Page

249

Last Page

252

Publisher

American Institute ofPhysics

ISSN

0094-243X

ISBN

9780735409156

Comments

Conference: Conference on Radio Pulsars - An Astrophysical Key to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe Location: Chai, ITALY Date: OCT 10-15, 2010 Sponsor(s): INAF-Osservatario Astronomico Cagliari; Sardinia Radio Telescope Board; Assoc Cefalu & Astron

Abstract

We compare population synthesis results for inner and outer magnetosphere emission models with the various characteristics measured in the first LAT pulsar catalogue for both the radio-loud and radio-weak or radio-quiet gamma-ray pulsars. We show that all models fail to reproduce the observations: for each model there is a lack of luminous and energetic objects that suggests a non dipolar magnetic field structure or spin-down evolution. The large dispersion that we find in the simulated gamma-ray luminosity versus spin-down power relation does not allow to use the present trend seen in the Fermi data to distinguish among models. For each model and each Fermi detected pulsar, we have generated light curves as a function of obliquity and inclination angles. The theoretical curves were fitted to the observed one, using a maximum-likelihood approach, to derive the best-fit orientations and to compare how well each model can reproduce the data. Including the radio light-curve gives an additional key constraint to restrict the orientation space.

Keywords

Pulsars; Neutron star population synthesis; Gamma-ray emission

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS