Force-free and twisted, relativistic neutron star magnetospheres

Abstract

In this poster we present the structure of an axisymmetric, force-free magnetosphere of a twisted, aligned rotating dipole within a corotating plasma-filled magnetosphere. We explore various profiles for the twist. We find that as the current increases more field lines cross the light cylinder leading to more efficient spin-down. Moreover, we notice that the twist cannot be increased indefinitely and after a finite twist of about $\pi /2$ the field becomes approximately radial. This could have implications for torque variations of magnetars related to outbursts.

2 pages, 2 figures, IAU SYMPOSIUM International Astronomical Union Proceedings Series

References in corpus (4)

• Fields from a relativistic magnetic explosion
• The force-free twisted magnetosphere of a neutron star - II: Degeneracies of the Grad-Shafranov equation
• Large polar caps for twisted magnetosphere of magnetars
• Coupled axisymmetric pulsar magnetospheres