Generation of Crab Nebulae Wisps by Plasma Drift Instability

摘要

A new mechanism of wisp formation in the Crab Nebula, without recourse to a shock wave, is presented. The mechanism is based on the plasma processes taking place in the relativistic electron- positron plasma, in particular, on excitation of the drift instability in the slightly inhomogeneous magnetic field of the nebula. The magnetic field geometry is assumed to be untwisting spirallike, concentrated around the rotational equatorial plane of the pulsar. We infer that the energy is transported from the pulsar to the nebula not only by the Poynting flux but also by the kinetic energy of the particles moving along the field lines.