Oscillating pair creation in pulsar magnetospheres.

A model for a pulsar magnetosphere is formulated based on oscillatory pair creation associated with large-amplitude oscillations of an electric field, E∥, parallel to the magnetic field. The amplitude is large enough for a typical particle (electron or positron) to become highly relativistic before slowing down, reversing its direction of motion and becoming highly relativistic propagating in the opposite direction. The maximum particle energy is above the threshold for effective pair creation, and pair creation is restricted to phases near this maximum. © 2005 American Institute of Physics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]