Gamma-ray flares in the Crab Nebula: A case of relativistic reconnection?

Journal Article · Thu May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2014 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4872024· OSTI ID:22253058

Cerutti, B., E-mail: [e-mail] ^[1]; Werner, G. R., E-mail: [e-mail]; Uzdensky, D. A., E-mail: [e-mail] ^[2]; Begelman, M. C., E-mail: [e-mail] ^[3]

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1. Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544 (United States)
2. Center for Integrated Plasma Studies, Physics Department, University of Colorado, UCB 390, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0390 (United States)
3. JILA, University of Colorado and National Institute of Standards and Technology, UCB 440, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0440 (United States)

The Crab Nebula was formed after the collapse of a massive star about a thousand years ago, leaving behind a pulsar that inflates a bubble of ultra-relativistic electron-positron pairs permeated with magnetic field. The observation of brief but bright flares of energetic gamma rays suggests that pairs are accelerated to PeV energies within a few days; such rapid acceleration cannot be driven by shocks. Here, it is argued that the flares may be the smoking gun of magnetic dissipation in the Nebula. Using 2D and 3D particle-in-cell simulations, it is shown that the observations are consistent with relativistic magnetic reconnection, where pairs are subject to strong radiative cooling. The Crab flares may highlight the importance of relativistic magnetic reconnection in astrophysical sources.

• OSTI ID: 22253058
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 21, Issue 5; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ACCELERATION
ASTROPHYSICS
CRAB NEBULA
ELECTRONS
GAMMA RADIATION
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC RECONNECTION
PEV RANGE
POSITRONS
PULSARS
RADIATIVE COOLING
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
SIMULATION