The magnetic coupling of planets and small bodies with a pulsar's wind

Fabrice Mottez (1) , Jean Heyvaerts (2)

1 LUTH (UMR_8102) - Laboratoire Univers et Théories
2 ObAS - Observatoire astronomique de Strasbourg

We investigate the electromagnetic interaction of a relativistic stellar wind with a planet or a smaller body in orbit around a pulsar. This may be relevant to objects such as PSR B1257+12 and PSR B1620-26 that are expected to hold a planetary system, or to pulsars with suspected asteroids or comets. Most models of pulsar winds predict that, albeit highly relativistic, they are slower than Alfvén waves. In that case, a pair of stationary Alfvén waves, called Alfvén wings (AW), is expected to form on the sides of the planet. The wings expand far into the pulsar's wind and they could be strong sources of radio emissions. The Alfvén wings would cause a significant drift over small bodies such as asteroids and comets.

Mots clés: pulsars; exoplanets; astrophysical plasmas; MHD; Alfven wings; non-Keplerian orbit

Domaines: Planétologie et astrophysique de la terre [astro-ph.EP]; Planétologie et astrophysique de la terre [astro-ph.EP]

Fabrice Mottez, Jean Heyvaerts. The magnetic coupling of planets and small bodies with a pulsar's wind. 2012. ⟨hal-00737151⟩