2003/04/07 by A. K. Harding, Alice K. Harding, Harding, Alice K.
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics (astro-ph) #Atomic and Subatomic Physics Research #FOS: Physical sciences #Geophysics and Sensor Technology #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.astro-ph/0304120
11 pages, invited talk at Pulsars, AXPs and SGRs Observed with BeppoSAX and Other Observatories, Marsala, Sicily, Sept. 2002
arxiv created 2003/04/07 · openalex publication_date 2003/04/07 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Neutron stars have inferred surface magnetic fields of up to 1014 Gauss, in the case of radio pulsars, and up to possibly 1015 Gauss, in the case of Soft Gamma-Ray Repeaters and Anomalous X-ray Pulsars. In fields this high, QED effects will profoundly change the characteristics of continuum radiation processes such as synchrotron emission and Compton scattering and will also allow the possibility of additional physical processes such as one-photon pair production, vacuum polarization and photon splitting. Atomic line processes will also be significantly affected by the presence of strong fields. I will review some of the properties of radiation processes in strong magnetic fields that are most relevant to pulsars, SGRs and AXPs and the role they play in models for these sources.