Pulsar scintillation patterns and strangelets

M. Angeles Perez-Garcia; Joseph Silk; Ue-Li Pen

doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2013.11.007

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arXiv · 1304.8116

Pulsar scintillation patterns and strangelets

M. Angeles Perez-Garcia·Joseph Silk·Ue-Li Pen

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Abstract

We propose that interstellar extreme scattering events, usually observed as pulsar scintillations, may be caused by a coherent agent rather than the usually assumed turbulence of $\rm H_2$ clouds. We find that the penetration of a flux of ionizing, positively charged strangelets or quark nuggets into a dense interstellar hydrogen cloud may produce ionization trails. Depending on the specific nature and energy of the incoming droplets, diffusive propagation or even capture in the cloud are possible. As a result, enhanced electron densities may form and constitute a lens-like scattering screen for radio pulsars and possibly for quasars.

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M. Angeles Perez-Garcia, Joseph Silk, Ue-Li Pen. 2013-09-07. Pulsar scintillation patterns and strangelets. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physletb.2013.11.007

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