The Physics & Astronomy Colloquium Series presents Tim Linden, of The Ohio State University , on “Astronomy and Neutron Stars” on Friday, Nov. 9, at 4:10 p.m. in Clippinger Labs 194.
Tim Linden
Abstract: HAWC observations have detected extended TeV emission coincident with the known pulsars. In this talk, I will show that these detections have significant implications for our
understanding of pulsar emission and can serve as powerful probes of fundamental physics. First, the spectrum and intensity of these “TeV Halos” indicates that a large fraction of the pulsar spindown energy is efficiently converted into electron-positron pairs. Second, the isotropic nature of this emission provides a new avenue for detecting nearby pulsars with radio beams that are not oriented towards Earth. Third, these observations indicate that the total emission from unresolved pulsars produces the majority of the TeV gammaray flux observed from the Milky Way. Finally, I will show how TeV halos can provide powerful new insights into novel physics, including dark matter.
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