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Session: Cosmology and Relativistic Astrophysics

Name: Mr. Dimitris Ntotsikas (University of Patras)
Coauthors: Gourgouliatos Kostas (Dr, University of Patras)
Lander Sam (Dr,University of East Anglia)
Kontopoulos Ioannis ((Dr, Academy of Athens))
Type: Poster
Title: Twisted Pulsar Magnetospheres and their Current Sheets
Abstract:

Motivated by sudden energetic events in magnetars, we study force-free, twisted, axisymmetric, and relativistic pulsar magnetospheres. We obtain equilibrium solutions utilizing the method of simultaneous relaxation inside and outside the light cylinder. We introduce toroidal magnetic fields in the region of closed field lines to account for the twist. Our findings indicate that increasing the twist leads to a larger fraction of magnetic field lines of opening, which enlarges the polar caps and enhances the spin-down rate. In magnetospheres with significant twisting, the inner edge of the current sheet must lie within the light cylinder, as, otherwise the solution has magnetic field lines that are disconnected from the star. We apply these solutions to variations in the spin-down rates of magnetars and nulling and moding of pulsars.