Gamma-ray Pulsars in a Modified Polar Cap Scenario

Abstract

We present a polar-cap model which incorporates a likely acceleration of Sturrock pairs with their subsequent contribution to gamma-ray luminosity L_gamma. This model reproduces L_gamma for seven pulsars detected with Compton Gamma Ray Observatory experiments, avoiding at the same time the problem of the empirical gamma-ray death line of Arons (1996). Also, we estimate the efficiency of reversing newly created positrons by residual longitudinal electric field. Over the wide range of spin-down luminosity values the predicted polar-cap X-ray luminosity L_X(pc) goes as L_sd^{0.6}. Model calculations for B0823+26, B0950+08, B1929+10, and J0437-4715 are compared with existing observational constraints on thermal X-ray components.

4 pages, 2 figures, Latex, paspconf.sty, epsf.sty. to appear in PASP Conf. Proc. "1997 Pacific Rim Conf. on Stellar Astrophys."