Radiative transfer in a strong magnetic field and accreting X-ray pulsars

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

108

Magnetic Stars, Neutron Stars, Pulsars, Radiative Transfer, X Ray Sources, Astrophysics, Eddington Approximation, Pencil Beams, Stellar Atmospheres, White Dwarf Stars

Scientific paper

A model for the radiation pattern of X-ray pulsars is proposed in which the accreting gas flow is stopped by nuclear collisions deep within the atmosphere, and the radiation emerging from the surface at frequencies much less than the electron cyclotron frequency has a pencil-beam pattern and is highly polarized due to the high anisotropy in the scattering cross section of photons by electrons in the magnetized plasma. The problem of radiative transfer in an atmosphere with a strong magnetic field is solved, theoretical X-ray pulse profiles are calculated, and the spectrum and polarization of emerging X-rays are discussed. In the framework of the proposed model, an upper limit on the luminosity of X-ray pulsars is obtained which can greatly exceed the Eddington critical value per unit surface area. The luminosity is shown to be limited by distortion of the beam pattern due to scattering of emitted X-rays by electrons of the infalling gas. It is shown that the present mechanism can also explain optical pulsations from magnetic white dwarfs.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Radiative transfer in a strong magnetic field and accreting X-ray pulsars 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 Radiative transfer in a strong magnetic field and accreting X-ray pulsars, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Radiative transfer in a strong magnetic field and accreting X-ray pulsars will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-908932

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.