Speaker
Dr
Benoit Cerutti
Description
I will present some of the recent efforts to model particle
acceleration and emission of energetic radiation in pulsars,
using global radiative PIC simulations. These studies show
that the equatorial current sheet forming in the pulsar wind is
the main site of particle acceleration. Relativistic reconnection
dissipates magnetic energy which is then efficiently
channeled into energetic particles and high-energy
synchrotron radiation. Synthetic lightcurves, spectra and
polarization present robust features reminiscent of observed
gamma-ray pulsars. I will also discuss how particle
acceleration proceeds in the wind far from the star but before
it reaches the nebula.
