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Informal Pizza SeminarPretty Pictures of PWN, or what happens when you spin a powerful magnet really fastMallory RobertsMcGillThe nebulae caused by the relativistic winds coming off of young pulsars are some of the most amazing and dynamic structures seen in our Galaxy. These bubbles of synchrotron emitting particles are seen in the radio, optical, X-ray, possibly GeV gamma-rays and, through inverse Compton scattering, TeV gamma-rays. I'll sketch the physics of how a fast spinning magnetized object creates a magnetized wind, and how that wind interacting with its environment creates a synchrotron bubble. I'll also discuss how a surrounding supernova remnant can effect the growth of these nebulae, and how recent X-ray observations of these sources are demonstrating just how little we actually understand about what happens when you spin a powerful magnet.
Tuesday, April 8th 2003, 13:00
Ernest Rutherford Physics Building, room 326 |