Understanding pulsar emission profiles from geometry and rotation effects

Abstract

We have developed a method to locate the possible emission regions in pulsar magnetospheres, taking into account detailed effects of geometry and rotation of the neutron star. Using curvature radiation formulation, we translate the results into observed radio intensity profiles that would be produced by these emission regions. We show clearly that significant asymmetries in the profiles can be produced by rotation effects. We investigate the dependency of the profile features on various pulsar parameters. We find that discrete heights of emission along discrete sets of field lines are required to reproduce realistic pulsar profiles, including asymmetries between leading and trailing components. Our work holds the promise for explaining the origin of core emission and also of one-sided cones.