Pulsar braking index: A test of emission models?

Abstract

Pulsar braking torques due to magnetodipole radiation and to unipolar generator are considered, which results in braking index being less than 3 and could be employed to test the emission models. Improved equations to obtain pulsar braking index and magnetic field are presented if we deem that the rotation energy loss rate equals to the sum of the dipole radiation energy loss rate and that of relativistic particles powered by unipolar generator. The magnetic field calculated by conventional way could be good enough but only modified by a factor of ~0.6 at most. Both inner and outer gaps may coexist in the magnetosphere of the Vela pulsar.