Engineering topics

Harding, A. K.

Publications and source records attributed to Harding, A. K..

137 records · Page 8

NASA NTRS1981

The distribution of free electrons in the inner galaxy from pulsar dispersion measures

The dispersion measures of a sample of 149 pulsars in the inner Galaxy (absolute value of l 50 deg) were statistically analyzed to deduce the large-scale distribution of free thermal electrons in this region. The dispersion measure distribution of these pulsars shows significant evidence for a decrease in the electron scale height from a local value greater than the pulsar scale height to a value less than the pulsar scale height at galactocentric radii inside of approximately 7 kpc. An increase in the electron density (to a value around .15/cu cm at 4 to 5 kpc) must accompany such a decrease in scale height. There is also evidence for a large-scale warp in the electron distribution below the b + 0 deg plane inside the Solar circle. A model is proposed for the electron distribution which incorporates these features and Monte Carlo generated dispersion measure distributions are presented for parameters which best reproduce the observed pulsar distributions.

Harding, D. S.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Galactic gamma-ray emission from pulsars

Using data from the most recent pulsar surveys, the contribution of pulsars to the gamma-ray flux from the galactic plane is examined. The assumption is made that pulsar gamma rays are produced by curvature radiation from relativistic particles above the polar cap and attenuated by pair production in the strong magnetic and electric fields. If the assumption is made that all pulsars produce gamma rays in this way, their luminosities can be predicted as a function of period and magnetic field strength. The distribution of pulsars in the Galaxy is determined using data on 328 pulsars detected in three surveys. The Z and R distributions are found to be very sensitive to the mean electron density in the galactic plane, as are the total number and birthrate of pulsars in the Galaxy. Longitude profile of pulsar gamma-ray flux are calculated for different values of the mean electron density.

Harding, A. K.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Electromagnetic cascades in pulsars

The development of pair photon cascades initiated by high energy electrons above a pulsar polar cap is simulated numerically. The calculation uses the energy of the primary electron, the magnetic field strength, and the period of rotation as parameters and follows the curvature radiation emitted by the primary, the conversion of this radiation e(+) - e(-) pairs in the intense fields, and the quantized synchrotron radiation by the secondary pairs. A recursive technique allows the tracing of an indefinite number of generations using a Monte Carlo method. Gamma ray and pair spectra are calculated for cascades in different parts of the polar cap and with different acceleration models. It is found that synchrotron radiation from secondary pairs makes an important contribution to the gamma ray spectrum above 25 MeV, and that the final gamma ray and pair spectra are insensitive to the height of the accelerating region, as long as the acceleration of the primary electrons is not limited by radiation reaction.

Daugherty, J. K.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Pulsar gamma-rays - Spectra, luminosities, and efficiencies

The general characteristics of pulsar gamma-ray spectra are presented for a model in which the gamma rays are produced by curvature radiation from energetic particles above the polar cap and attenuated by pair production. It is found that the shape of the spectrum depends on pulsar period, magnetic field strength, and primary particle energy. Comparing numerically calculated spectra with the observed spectra of the Crab and Vela pulsars, it is determined that primary particles must be accelerated to energies of approximately 3 x 10 to the 7th m c-squared. A general formula is determined for pulsar gamma-ray luminosity; it is found to depend on period and field strength.

Harding, A. K.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Pulsar and diffuse contributions to observed galactic gamma radiation

The first calculation of a gamma-ray production spectrum from pulsars in the Galaxy, along with a statistical analysis of data on 328 known radio pulsars, are presented. The implications of this point source contribution to the general interpretation of the observed galactic gamma-ray spectrum are indicated. The contributions from diffuse interstellar cosmic-ray induced production mechanisms are then re-examined, concluding that pulsars may be contributing significantly to the galactic gamma-ray emission.

Harding, A. K.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Propagation in a shearing plasma. III - Magnetic field effects and pulsar microstructure periods

Effects of a magnetic field on wave and pulse propagation in a shearing plasma are investigated. Equations for the wave fields are derived from Maxwell's equations and the Minkowski relations for an anisotropic medium, when the magnetic field is parallel to the shearing velocity. The independent propagation modes are elliptically polarized in the stationary frame and vary with the velocity of the medium. Numerical calculations are presented which show the propagation of waves and pulses through a plane-parallel shearing plasma in the case of weak and strong fields. It is found that in a weak field, propagation effects are very similar to those previously found in field-free models: the transmitted pulses acquire temporal modulations whose period is frequency dependent. In a strong field, the period of the temporal modulations is independent of frequency. Transmitted pulses can also undergo polarization changes as a result of phase differences between modes. These results are discussed in relation to their significance to propagation in a pulsar magnetosphere and, in particular, to a model for pulse microstructure.

Harding, A. K.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Galactic X-ray emission from pulsars

The contribution of pulsars to the gamma-ray flux from the galactic plane is examined using data from the most recent pulsar surveys. It is assumed that pulsar gamma-rays are produced by curvature radiation from relativistic particles above the polar cap and attenuated by pair production in the strong magnetic and electric fields. Assuming that all pulsars produce gamma-rays in this way, their luminosities can be predicted as a function of period and magnetic field strength. Using the distribution of pulsars in the galaxy as determined from data on 328 pulsars detected in three surveys, the local gamma-ray production spectrum, the longitude profile, and the latitude profile of pulsar gamma-ray flux are calculated. The largest sources of uncertainty in the size of the pulsar contribution are the value of the mean interstellar electron density, the turnover in the pulsar radio luminosity function, and the average pulsar magnetic field strength. A present estimate is that pulsars contribute from 15 to 20 % of the total flux of gamma-rays from the galactic plane.

Harding, A. K.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Asymmetries in the galactic distribution of pulsars

The distribution of pulsars in galactocentric radius and z distance has been determined for opposite halves of the Galaxy, using data on 328 pulsars from three surveys. The distributions in galactocentric radius are found to be significantly different at positive and negative longitudes, although both show strong peaks between 5 and 6 kpc. There is also some indication that pulsars are located preferentially along spiral arms. Distributions in the z component of dispersion measured above and below the galactic plane also show asymmetry, with higher dispersion occurring at negative z. This may imply the existence of a narrow (approximately 100 pc), high electron density layer below the plane of the sun in the inner galaxy.

Harding, A. K.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Pulsar and diffuse contributions to the observed galactic gamma radiation

With the acquisition of satellite data on the energy spectrum of galactic gamma-radiation, it is clear that such radiation has a multicomponent nature. A calculation of the pulsar gamma ray emission spectrum is used together with a statistical analysis of recent data on 328 known pulsars to make a new determination of the pulsar contribution to galactic gamma ray emission. The contributions from diffuse interstellar cosmic ray induced production mechanisms to the total emission are then reexamined. It is concluded that pulsars may account for a significant fraction of galactic gamma ray emission.

Harding, A. K.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Pulsar gamma-rays: Spectra luminosities and efficiencies

The general characteristics of pulsar gamma ray spectra are presented for a model where the gamma rays are produced by curvature radiation from energetic particles above the polar cap and attenuated by pair production. The shape of the spectrum is found to depend on pulsar period, magnetic field strength, and primary particle energy. By a comparison of numerically calculated spectra with the observed spectra of the Crab and Vela pulsars, it is determined that primary particles must be accelerated to energies of about 3 x 10 to the 7th power mc sq. A genaral formula for pulsar gamma ray luminosity is determined and is found to depend on period and field strength.

Harding, A. K.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Propagation in a shearing plasma. II - Turbulence and the frequency range of pulsar microstructure

Numerical calculations are presented which explore the propagation of radio waves and pulses through a turbulent shearing plasma. A stochastic model is used to describe the turbulent velocity field, in which random fluctuations are superposed on a mean profile. Both Gaussian wave packets and shot-noise pulses polarized in the plane of shearing acquire quasi-periodic intensity modulations above the rest-frame plasma frequency. The frequency range over which these modulations appear is shown to depend on the spatial correlation length of the turbulent fluctuations and on their standard deviation from the mean velocity. The period of the modulations is variable from one realization of the random process to the next, and the average period is frequency dependent. The results of these calculations lend further support to a model for pulsar microstructure in which periodic micropulses are pure temporal modulations of the emitted radiation due to propagation effects in magnetospheric shearing regions. It is shown that turbulence on a scale of approximately 10 cm can produce these quasi-periodic modulations over a frequency range comparable to that of observed microstructure.

Harding, A. K.↗