The topology and polarization of sub-beams associated with the 'drifting' sub-pulse emission of pulsar B0943+10-I. Analysis of Arecibo 430- and 111-MHz observations

Abstract

The `drifting' sub-pulses exhibited by some radio pulsars have fascinated both observers and theorists for 30 years, and have been widely regarded as one of the most critical and potentially insightful aspects of their emission. Moreover, Ruderman & Sutherland, in their classic model, suggested that such regular modulation was produced by a system of subbeams, rotating around the magnetic axis under the action of E B drift. Such `drift' sequences have thus been thoroughly studied in a number of pulsars, but it has proven difficult to verify the rotating sub-beam hypothesis, and thus to establish an illuminating connection between the phenomenon and the actual physics of the emission.