2018MNRAS.478.4348I

A scenario for formation of fast radio bursts (FRBs) is proposed. Just like radio pulsars, sources of FRBs are magnetized neutron stars. The appearance of a strong electric field in the magnetosphere of a neutron star is associated with the close passage of a dense body near the hot neutron star. Thermal radiation from the surface of the star (the temperature is of the order of 10⁸K) causes evaporation and ionization of matter in the dense body. Ionized gas (plasma) flows around the magnetosphere of the neutron star with velocity u ≃ 10⁷ cm s^–1 and creates an electric potential ψ₀ ≃ 10¹¹V in the polar region of the magnetosphere. A small fraction of electrons from the plasma flow are accelerated toward the star and gain a Lorentz factor of ≃ 10⁵. Thermal photons moving toward precipitating electrons are scattered by them and produce gamma photons with energies ≃ 10⁵ m_ec². These gamma quanta produce electron-positron pairs in collisions with thermal photons. The electron-positron plasma produced in the polar region of the magnetosphere accumulates in a narrow layer at the bottom of a potential well formed on one side by a blocking potential ψ₀ and on the other by the pressure of thermal radiation. The density of electron-positron plasma in the layer increases with time and after a short time the layer becomes a mirror for thermal radiation of the star. The thermal radiation in the polar region under the layer is accumulated for a time ≃ 500 s, then the plasma layer is ejected outside. The ejection is observed as a burst of radio emission formed by the flow of relativistic electron-positron plasma.