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Chapter 21: Problem 12

What is synchrotron radiation? How is it involved in making the Crab Nebula glow?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Synchrotron radiation is a type of electromagnetic radiation emitted when charged particles are radially accelerated. The glow of the Crab Nebula is caused by this radiation, emitted by high-energy electrons getting accelerated in the nebula's magnetic field. The nebula's inner pulsar provides the constant energy supply necessary to sustain this luminosity.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding Synchrotron Radiation

Synchrotron radiation is electromagnetic radiation that's emitted when charged particles are accelerated radially, i.e., when they are subject to an acceleration perpendicular to their velocity. It is produced in synchrotrons using bending magnets, undulators and/or wigglers.
02

Relating Synchrotron Radiation to the Crab Nebula's Glow

The Crab Nebula is a supernova remnant, which emits synchrotron radiation, causing its observable glow. When high energy electrons in the nebula are accelerated by the magnetic field, they emit synchrotron radiation, which includes light in the visible spectrum, observable from Earth. This phenomenon is captured by telescopes, revealing the brilliant glow of the Crab Nebula.
03

Understanding Crab Nebula's Pulsar

At the heart of the Crab Nebula, there is a pulsar (a rapidly rotating neutron star), which injects high-energy particles into the nebula surrounding it. This process is mainly responsible for the constant replenishment of relativistic electrons needed for the sustenance of the synchrotron glow. Due to relativistic beaming, the emissions appear to pulse as the orientation of the pulsar changes with respect to an observer.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Explain why heavy elements that are produced by neutron star collisions can still be regarded as having been processed through a supernova.

Imagine that we're somehow able to stand (and survive) at one of the magnetic poles of the Crab pulsar. Describe what you would see. How would the stars appear to move in the sky? What would you see if you looked straight up? What factors make this location a very unhealthy place to visit?

What is the connection between pulsating X-ray sources and millisecond pulsars?

Compare the internal structure of a white dwarf to that of a neutron star. What are the similarities? What are the differences?

The total luminosity at all wavelengths of the magnetar burst observed on December 27,2006 , was approximately \(10^{14} \mathrm{~L}_{\odot}\). At what distance from the magnetar would the brightness of the burst have been equal to the brightness of the Sun as seen on Earth? Give your answer in AU and in parsecs.
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