ON THE STRUCTURE OF PULSAR AXISYMMETRIC FORCE-FREE MAGNETOSPHERE BEYOND THE LIGHT CYLINDER

Abstract

An exact multipolar solution of the pulsar equation is found,
which corresponds to the field of a monopole shifted along the
magnetic axis. Based on this solution, the split-offset monopole
model is developed, which, as compared to the classical
split monopole model, better represents the force-free structure
of the pulsar dipolar magnetosphere beyond the light cylinder.
In particular, it allows to include the outer gap into the
global magnetospheric structure. On the analogy of this model,
a new scheme of the pulsar force-free magnetosphere is suggested,
which for the first time self-consistently incorporates
the polar, outer and slot gaps. The gaps are believed to play
an important role in the pulsar current circuit closure. The
implications of our results for different fields of pulsar research
are outlined.