Date: 03.12.2024

Andrzej Szary (U.Zielona Gora,PL)

Unraveling the Mystery of Pulsar Radio Emission: Investigating Drifting Subpulses

Abstract:
Over the past half-century since their discovery, pulsar studies have significantly advanced our understanding of neutron star physics, general relativity, the Galactic gravitational potential and magnetic field, the interstellar medium, celestial mechanics, and even cosmology. However, one major mystery in pulsar astronomy remains unresolved: the mechanism behind their radio emission. Although the discovery of pulsars was based on this property, there is still no consensus on the fundamental process driving it. Pulsar radio emission is characterized by highly periodic pulses, with individual pulses composed of subpulses that often exhibit systematic variations in position or intensity a phenomenon known as drifting subpulses (Drake & Craft, 1968). In recent years, significant progress has been made in both the observational and theoretical understanding of drifting subpulses. On one hand, a physical justification for drift around the magnetic axis has been proposed (Szary et al. 2017), while on the other hand, an alternative model involving plasma drift around the rotation axis has gained traction (see, e.g., Basu et al. 2020; Basu et al. 2022). In this talk, I will present a research plan and initial results from a comprehensive investigation aimed at resolving this contradiction and uncovering the true nature of the drifting subpulse phenomenon.