Lyutikov, M, Komissarov, SS and Porth, O (2016) The inner knot of the Crab nebula. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 456 (1). pp. 286-299. ISSN 0035-8711
Abstract
We model the inner knot of the Crab nebula as a synchrotron emission coming from the non-spherical MHD termination shock of relativistic pulsar wind. The post-shock flow is mildly relativistic; as a result the Doppler beaming has a strong impact on the shock appearance. The model can reproduce the knot location, size, elongation, brightness distribution, luminosity and polarization provided the effective magnetization of the section of the pulsar wind producing the knot is low, σ ≤ 1. In the striped wind model, this implies that the striped zone is rather wide, with the magnetic inclination angle of the Crab pulsar ≥45°; this agrees with the previous model-dependent estimate based on the gamma-ray emission of the pulsar. We conclude that the tiny knot is indeed a bright spot on the surface of a quasi-stationary magnetic relativistic shock and that this shock is a site of efficient particle acceleration. On the other hand, the deduced low magnetization of the knot plasma implies that this is an unlikely site for the Crab's gamma-ray flares, if they are related to the fast relativistic magnetic reconnection events.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ©: 2016 The Author(s) Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. |
Keywords: | MHD-radiation mechanisms; non-thermal-shock waves-pulsars; individual; Crab-ISM; supernova remnants |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Mathematics (Leeds) > Applied Mathematics (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 20 Oct 2016 11:32 |
Last Modified: | 20 Oct 2016 11:32 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stv2570 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
Identification Number: | 10.1093/mnras/stv2570 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:97632 |