On the origin of the circular polarization in radio pulsars

Abstract

Properties of circularly polarized waves are studied in the pulsar magnetosphere plasma. It is shown that some observational characteristics of the circular polarization observed in the pulsar radio emission can be qualitatively explained in the framework of the model based on anomalous Doppler resonance. Performed analysis provides that if the difference between Lorentz factors of electrons and positrons is relatively high, one of the circularly polarized waves becomes super-luminal and therefore can not be generated by cyclotron instability. We suggest that this case corresponds to the pulsars with the domination of one hand of circular polarization through the whole averaged pulse profile at all observed frequencies. For intermediate values of the difference between Lorentz factors both circularly polarized waves are generated, but the waves of one handness are much more effectively generated for high frequencies, whereas generation of another handness dominates for low frequencies. This should correspond to the pulsars with strong frequency dependence of the degree of circular polarization. The case of relatively small difference between Lorentz factors corresponds to the pulsars with sign reversal of the circular polarization in the centre of averaged pulse profiles.