Τμήμα Φυσικής
ΣΧΟΛΗ ΘΕΤΙΚΩΝ ΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΩΝ ΕΚΠΑ
ΤΜΗΜΑ ΦΥΣΙΚΗΣ
ΤΟΜΕΑΣ ΑΣΤΡΟΦΥΣΙΚΗΣ ΑΣΤΡΟΝΟΜΙΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΜΗΧΑΝΙΚΗΣ
Σ Ε Μ Ι Ν Α Ρ Ι Ο
Τετάρτη 9 Ιανουαρίου 2019, 13:00-14:00
Αίθουσα Διαλέξεων Τομέα Αστροφυσικής, Αστρονομίας και Μηχανικής
High-energy radiation from a "ring of fire" in pulsars
Dr Ioannis Contopoulos
Research Center for Astronomy and Applied Mathematics, Academy of Athens
We will review the current state of research on the origin of high-energy radiation from pulsars. We will discuss the limitations of FFE (force-free electrodynamics), MHD (magneto-hydrodynamic) and PIC (particle-in-cell) simulations. We will present our own view that electric current closure holds the key to the structure of the pulsar magnetosphere, and will argue that particle acceleration takes place in a narrow "ring of fire" around the light cylinder. We will propose that progress will be made only with hybrid simulations (FFE with particle orbit calculations limited to the potential regions of particle acceleration and emission of high-energy radiation), and will present our first preliminary results.