1999/05/17 by A. M. Atoyan, Atoyan, A. M.
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations #Astrophysics (astro-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Geophysics and Gravity Measurements #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.astro-ph/9905204
4 pages, 3 figures; accepted for publication in A&A Letters
arxiv created 1999/05/17 · openalex publication_date 1999/05/17 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The origin of relativistic electrons in the Crab nebula which are producing\nthe broad-band flat radio spectrum of this prototype plerion has proved\ndifficult to understand. Here I show that these electrons can be naturally\nexplained as a relic population of the pulsar wind electrons that have lost\nmost of their energy in the expanding nebula because of intensive radiative and\nadiabatic cooling in the past. The observed radio spectrum suggests that the\ninitial slowing-down time of the pulsar was about 30 yrs (or less), which\nimplies that it has been born with a spin period P0 ~ 3-5 ms, several times\nshorter than presently believed. Consistency of these results with the current\ndata and the historical records is discussed.\n