Abstract
In view of recent efforts to probe the physical conditions in the pulsar
current sheet, we revisit the standard solution that describes the main
elements of the ideal force-free pulsar magnetosphere. The simple physical
requirement that the electric current contained in the current layer consists
of the local electric charge moving outward at close to the speed of light,
yields a new standard solution for the pulsar magnetosphere everywhere ideal
force-free except in the current layer. The main elements of the new solution
are a) the pulsar spindown rate of the aligned rotator is 23\% times larger than
that of the orthogonal vacuum rotator, b) only 60\% of the magnetic flux that
crosses the light cylinder opens up to infinity, c) the electric current closes
along the other 40\% which gradually converges to the equator, d) this transfers
40\% of the total pulsar spindown energy flux in the equatorial current sheet
which is then dissipated in the acceleration of particles and in high-energy
electromagnetic radiation, e) there is no separatrix current layer. Our
solution is a minimum free-parameter solution in that the equatorial current
layer is electrostatically supported against collapse and thus does not require
a thermal particle population. We discuss the implications of our solution for
intermittent pulsars and long duration gamma-ray bursts. We conclude that the
physical conditions in the equatorial current layer determine the global
structure of the pulsar magnetosphere.
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