Possibilities for Detecting Extinct Radio Pulsars

Abstract

We explore the possibilities for detecting pulsars that have ceased to radiate in the radio band. We consider two models: the model with hindered particle escape from the pulsar surface [first suggested by Ruderman and Sutherland (1975)] and the model with free particle escape (Arons 1981; Mestel 1999). In the model with hindered particle escape, the number of particles that leave the pulsar magnetosphere is small and their radiation cannot be detected with currently available instruments. At the same time, for Arons' model, both the number of particles and the radiation intensity are high enough for such “extinct” pulsars to be detectable with the GLAST and INTEGRAL satellites.