Hydromagnetic Plasma Acceleration by Rapidly Rotating Astrophysical Objects

Abstract

We have solved analytically for the acceleration of plasma away from a rotating magnetized object. Application of that analysis to rotator models for the radio, optical, and x-ray pulsar NP0532 suggests that it has a magnetic moment of order 3×${10}^{28}$ G ${\mathrm{cm}}^3$ and is losing mass at a rate order 2×${10}^9$ g/sec. These parameters would provide particles in excess of ${10}^{11}$ eV and a 6×${10}^{-4\mathrm{}}$-G field in the Crab Nebula at 1 lt yr from NPO532.