Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2005-07-22
Mon.Not.Roy.Astron.Soc.368:690-706,2006
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
37 pages, 10 figures, accepted by MNRAS, minor changes
Scientific paper
10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.10140.x
Resonant cyclotron scattering of the surface radiation in the magnetospheres of neutron stars may considerably modify the emergent spectra and impede efforts to constraint neutron star properties. Resonant cyclotron scattering by a non-relativistic warm plasma in an inhomogeneous magnetic field has a number of unusual characteristics: (i) in the limit of high resonant optical depth, the cyclotron resonant layer is half opaque, in sharp contrast to the case of non-resonant scattering. (ii) The transmitted flux is on average Compton up-scattered by ~ $1+ 2 beta_T$, where $\beta_T$ is the typical thermal velocity in units of the velocity of light; the reflected flux has on average the initial frequency. (iii) For both the transmitted and reflected fluxes the dispersion of intensity decreases with increasing optical depth. (iv) The emergent spectrum is appreciably non-Plankian while narrow spectral features produced at the surface may be erased. We derive semi-analytically modification of the surface Plankian emission due to multiple scattering between the resonant layers and apply the model to anomalous X-ray pulsar 1E 1048.1--5937. Our simple model fits just as well as the ``canonical'' magnetar spectra model of a blackbody plus power-law.
Gavriil Fotis P.
Lyutikov Maxim
No associations
LandOfFree
Resonant Cyclotron Scattering and Comptonization in Neutron Star Magnetospheres does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Resonant Cyclotron Scattering and Comptonization in Neutron Star Magnetospheres, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Resonant Cyclotron Scattering and Comptonization in Neutron Star Magnetospheres will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-544441