The optical polarization of the Crab Pulsar
Open Access
- 1 July 1988
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Vol. 233 (2) , 305-319
- https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/233.2.305
Abstract
The optical polarizations of the Crab Nebula Pulsar has been remeasured, using a new determination of the polarization of the background emission from the nebula. The emission from the pulsar at minimum light is 47±10 per cent polarized at p.a. 130°. The polarization characteristics of the two pulse components are remarkably similar. The observations support a model in which optical and other high-energy radiation is emitted from close to the light cylinder, the two pulses corresponding to the two magnetic poles in a nearly orthogonal rotator.Keywords
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