Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2005-02-17
Mon.Not.Roy.Astron.Soc. 362 (2005) 777-783
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
14 pages, 2 figures, submitted to MNRAS
Scientific paper
10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.09338.x
Previously, we showed that, owing to effects arising from quantum electrodynamics (QED), magnetohydrodynamic fast modes of sufficient strength will break down to form electron-positron pairs while traversing the magnetospheres of strongly magnetised neutron stars. The bulk of the energy of the fast mode fuels the development of an electron-positron fireball. However, a small, but potentially observable, fraction of the energy ($\sim 10^{33}$ ergs) can generate a non-thermal distribution of electrons and positrons far from the star. In this paper, we examine the cooling and radiative output of these particles. We also investigate the properties of non-thermal emission in the absence of a fireball to understand the breakdown of fast modes that do not yield an optically thick pair plasma. This quiescent, non-thermal radiation associated with fast mode breakdown may account for the recently observed non-thermal emission from several anomalous X-ray pulsars and soft-gamma repeaters.
Hernquist Lars
Heyl Jeremy S.
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