Pulsar Current Sheets - Bulk Particle Trajectories

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    ID: 4637 Visualization

    Pulsars and their Magnetic Field - Vacuum solution

    Oct. 10th, 2018
    (updated Aug. 25th, 2023)

    This movie presents a basic tour around the vacuum magnetic field solution. This version is generated with some simple reference objects for more general use. || Scientists studying what amounts to a computer-simulated “pulsar in a box” are gaining a more detailed understanding of the complex, high-energy environment around spinning neutron stars, also called pulsars. The model traces the paths of charged particles in magnetic and electric fields near the neutron star, revealing behaviors that may help explain how pulsars emit gamma-ray and radio pulses with ultraprecise timing.A pulsar is the crushed core of a massive star that exploded as a supernova. The core is so compressed that more mass than the Sun's squeezes into a ball no wider than Manhattan Island in New York City. This process also revvs up its rotation and strengthens its magnetic and electric fields.This visualization illustrates what the pulsar magnetic field would look like without the influence of the charged particles around it. The charged particles create currents which alter the magnetic field. ||

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  • 
    ID: 4638 Visualization

    Pulsar Current Sheets - Magnetic Field Solution

    Oct. 10th, 2018
    (updated Aug. 25th, 2023)

    This movie presents a basic tour around the simulation magnetic field. This version is generated with some simple reference objects for more general use. || Scientists studying what amounts to a computer-simulated “pulsar in a box” are gaining a more detailed understanding of the complex, high-energy environment around spinning neutron stars, also called pulsars. The model traces the paths of charged particles in magnetic and electric fields near the neutron star, revealing behaviors that may help explain how pulsars emit gamma-ray and radio pulses with ultraprecise timing.A pulsar is the crushed core of a massive star that exploded as a supernova. The core is so compressed that more mass than the Sun's squeezes into a ball no wider than Manhattan Island in New York City. This process also revvs up its rotation and strengthens its magnetic and electric fields.This visualization illustrates what the pulsar magnetic field would look like INCLUDING the influence of the charged particles around it (those particles included in other visualizations in this series). The charged particles create currents which alter the magnetic field. ||

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  • 
    ID: 4645 Visualization

    Pulsar Current Sheets - Electron flows

    Oct. 10th, 2018
    (updated Aug. 25th, 2023)

    This movie presents a basic tour around the simulation magnetic field including motion of the high-energy electrons. This version is generated with some simple reference objects for more general use. || Scientists studying what amounts to a computer-simulated “pulsar in a box” are gaining a more detailed understanding of the complex, high-energy environment around spinning neutron stars, also called pulsars. The model traces the paths of charged particles in magnetic and electric fields near the neutron star, revealing behaviors that may help explain how pulsars emit gamma-ray and radio pulses with ultraprecise timing.A pulsar is the crushed core of a massive star that exploded as a supernova. The core is so compressed that more mass than the Sun's squeezes into a ball no wider than Manhattan Island in New York City. This process also revvs up its rotation and strengthens its magnetic and electric fields.Various physical processes ensure that most of the particles around a pulsar are either electrons or their antimatter counterparts, positrons. To trace the behavior and energies of these particles, the researchers used a comparatively new type of pulsar model called a “particle in cell” (PIC) simulation.The PIC technique lets scientists explore the pulsar from first principles, starting with a spinning, magnetized meutron star. The computer code injects electrons and positrons at the pulsar's surface and tracks how they interact with the electric and magnetic fields. It's computationally intensive because the particle motions affect the fields and the fields affect the particles, and everything is moving near the speed of light.This visualization shows the high-speed electrons moviing around the pulsar. Darker blue trails represent slow electrons. White trails indicate high speed (relativisitic) particles. There are more high-speed electrons outside the current sheet. ||

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  • 
    ID: 4646 Visualization

    Pulsar Current Sheets - Positron Flows

    Oct. 10th, 2018
    (updated Aug. 25th, 2023)

    This movie presents a basic tour around the simulation magnetic field including motion of the high-energy positrons. This version is generated with some simple reference objects for more general use. || Scientists studying what amounts to a computer-simulated “pulsar in a box” are gaining a more detailed understanding of the complex, high-energy environment around spinning neutron stars, also called pulsars. The model traces the paths of charged particles in magnetic and electric fields near the neutron star, revealing behaviors that may help explain how pulsars emit gamma-ray and radio pulses with ultraprecise timing.A pulsar is the crushed core of a massive star that exploded as a supernova. The core is so compressed that more mass than the Sun's squeezes into a ball no wider than Manhattan Island in New York City. This process also revvs up its rotation and strengthens its magnetic and electric fields.Various physical processes ensure that most of the particles around a pulsar are either electrons or their antimatter counterparts, positrons. To trace the behavior and energies of these particles, the researchers used a comparatively new type of pulsar model called a “particle in cell” (PIC) simulation.The PIC technique lets scientists explore the pulsar from first principles, starting with a spinning, magnetized meutron star. The computer code injects electrons and positrons at the pulsar's surface and tracks how they interact with the electric and magnetic fields. It's computationally intensive because the particle motions affect the fields and the fields affect the particles, and everything is moving near the speed of light.This visualization shows the high-speed positrons moviing around the pulsar. Darker red trails represent slow positrons. White trails indicate high speed (relativisitic) particles. The positrons undergo acceleration to relativistic speeds near the edge of the current sheet. ||

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  • 
    ID: 4647 Visualization

    Pulsar Current Sheets - Electron & Positron Flows

    Oct. 10th, 2018
    (updated Aug. 25th, 2023)

    This movie presents a basic tour around the simulation magnetic field including motion of the high-energy electrons and positrons. This version is generated with some simple reference objects for more general use. || Scientists studying what amounts to a computer-simulated “pulsar in a box” are gaining a more detailed understanding of the complex, high-energy environment around spinning neutron stars, also called pulsars. The model traces the paths of charged particles in magnetic and electric fields near the neutron star, revealing behaviors that may help explain how pulsars emit gamma-ray and radio pulses with ultraprecise timing.A pulsar is the crushed core of a massive star that exploded as a supernova. The core is so compressed that more mass than the Sun's squeezes into a ball no wider than Manhattan Island in New York City. This process also revvs up its rotation and strengthens its magnetic and electric fields.Various physical processes ensure that most of the particles around a pulsar are either electrons or their antimatter counterparts, positrons. To trace the behavior and energies of these particles, the researchers used a comparatively new type of pulsar model called a “particle in cell” (PIC) simulation.The PIC technique lets scientists explore the pulsar from first principles, starting with a spinning, magnetized meutron star. The computer code injects electrons and positrons at the pulsar's surface and tracks how they interact with the electric and magnetic fields. It's computationally intensive because the particle motions affect the fields and the fields affect the particles, and everything is moving near the speed of light.This visualization shows the high-speed electrons and positrons moviing around the pulsar. Darker blue trails represent slow electrons, darker red trails represent slow positrons. White trails indicate high speed (relativisitic) particles. Electrons and positrons can be accelerated near the edge of the current sheet. ||

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  • 
    ID: 4648 Visualization

    Pulsar Current Sheets - All Particle Flows

    Oct. 10th, 2018
    (updated Aug. 25th, 2023)

    This movie presents a basic tour around the simulation magnetic field including motion of the the bulk particles and high-energy electrons and positrons. This version is generated with some simple reference objects for more general use. || Scientists studying what amounts to a computer-simulated “pulsar in a box” are gaining a more detailed understanding of the complex, high-energy environment around spinning neutron stars, also called pulsars. The model traces the paths of charged particles in magnetic and electric fields near the neutron star, revealing behaviors that may help explain how pulsars emit gamma-ray and radio pulses with ultraprecise timing.A pulsar is the crushed core of a massive star that exploded as a supernova. The core is so compressed that more mass than the Sun's squeezes into a ball no wider than Manhattan Island in New York City. This process also revvs up its rotation and strengthens its magnetic and electric fields.Various physical processes ensure that most of the particles around a pulsar are either electrons or their antimatter counterparts, positrons. To trace the behavior and energies of these particles, the researchers used a comparatively new type of pulsar model called a “particle in cell” (PIC) simulation.The PIC technique lets scientists explore the pulsar from first principles, starting with a spinning, magnetized meutron star. The computer code injects electrons and positrons at the pulsar's surface and tracks how they interact with the electric and magnetic fields. It's computationally intensive because the particle motions affect the fields and the fields affect the particles, and everything is moving near the speed of light.This visualization shows the all the simulation particles, the low speed (bulk) particle flows, and the high energy electrons and positrons, moviing around the pulsar. Darker blue trails represent slow electrons, darker red trails represent slow positrons. White trails indicate high speed (relativisitic) particles. ||

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    ID: 13058 Produced Video

    Simulations Create New Insights Into Pulsars

    Oct. 10th, 2018
    (updated May 3rd, 2023)

    Explore a new “pulsar in a box” computer simulation that tracks the fate of electrons (blue) and their antimatter kin, positrons (red), as they interact with powerful magnetic and electric fields around a neutron star. Lighter colors indicate higher particle energies. Each particle seen in this visualization actually represents trillions of electrons or positrons. Better knowledge of the particle environment around neutron stars will help astronomers understand how they produce precisely timed radio and gamma-ray pulses.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: "Reaching for the Horizon" and "Leaving Earth" from Killer TracksWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. ||

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