The pulsar synchrotron in 3D: curvature radiation

Abstract

We investigate the strong electric current sheet that develops at the tip of the pulsar closed line region through time dependent three-dimensional numerical simulations of a rotating magnetic dipole. We show that curvature radiation from relativistic electrons and positrons in the current sheet may naturally account for several features of the high-energy pulsar emission. We obtain light curves and polarization profiles for the complete range of magnetic field inclination angles and observer orientations, and compare our results to recent observations from the Fermi gamma-ray telescope.