Comptes Rendus
no. 6-7
Gamma-ray pulsars: A gold mine
[Les pulsars γ : Une mine d'or]
Isabelle A. Grenier1  ; Alice K. Harding2
1 Laboratoire AIM Paris-Saclay, CEA/IRFU, CNRS, Université Paris Diderot, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, France
2 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
Comptes Rendus. Physique, Volume 16 (2015) no. 6-7, pp. 641-660.

Les étoiles à neutrons les plus puissantes, qui tirent leur énergie de leur rotation, sont capables d'émettre des impulsions lumineuses des ondes radio jusqu'aux rayons γ, d'énergies proches du TeV. Ces pulsars font partie des puissants accélérateurs de particules de l'Univers, profitant de leur rotation unique et de leur formidable champ magnétique pour accélérer des particules jusqu'à des vitesses ultra-relativistes. Les propriétés extrêmes de ces étoiles permettent de tester la physique nucléaire, la gravitation et l'électrodynamique quantique dans des conditions inaccessibles sur Terre. Le télescope gamma spatial Fermi vient de révéler un riche échantillon de pulsars γ. Leur rayonnement γ énergétique permet de sonder la magnétosphère des étoiles à neutrons et d'étudier l'accélération de particules dans cet environnement exotique. Nous présentons les derniers développements de ce domaine, en commençant par une rapide revue des propriétés et mystères soulevés par ces pulsars, puis en détaillant plus avant les observations γ et les modèles magnétosphériques.

The most energetic neutron stars, powered by their rotation, are capable of producing pulsed radiation from the radio up to γ rays with nearly TeV energies. These pulsars are part of the universe of energetic and powerful particle accelerators, using their uniquely fast rotation and formidable magnetic fields to accelerate particles to ultra-relativistic speed. The extreme properties of these stars provide an excellent testing ground, beyond Earth experience, for nuclear, gravitational, and quantum-electrodynamical physics. A wealth of γ-ray pulsars has recently been discovered with the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope. The energetic γ rays enable us to probe the magnetospheres of neutron stars and particle acceleration in this exotic environment. We review the latest developments in this field, beginning with a brief overview of the properties and mysteries of rotation-powered pulsars, and then discussing γ-ray observations and magnetospheric models in more detail.

Publié le :
DOI : 10.1016/j.crhy.2015.08.013
Keywords: Pulsar, Neutron star, Magnetosphere, Gamma rays, Acceleration
Mot clés : Pulsa, Étoile à neutrons, Magnétosphère, Rayons gamma, Accélération
Isabelle A. Grenier 1 ; Alice K. Harding 2

1 Laboratoire AIM Paris-Saclay, CEA/IRFU, CNRS, Université Paris Diderot, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, France
2 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA 
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     pages = {641--660},
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Isabelle A. Grenier; Alice K. Harding. Gamma-ray pulsars: A gold mine. Comptes Rendus. Physique, Volume 16 (2015) no. 6-7, pp. 641-660. doi : 10.1016/j.crhy.2015.08.013. https://comptes-rendus.academie-sciences.fr/physique/articles/10.1016/j.crhy.2015.08.013/

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