High energy processes in astrophysics

高能过程可以通过研究中子星来研究。中子星在我们的星系中数量众多，是高能粒子和辐射的重要发生器。这是由于它们强大的磁场（高达数万亿高斯），强大的引力和快速的自旋速率（每秒高达600次）。利用地球轨道上的x射线望远镜对中子星的高能辐射进行了观测。然后，通过制作中子星周围的气体、辐射、重力和磁场的计算机模型，将这些数据与理论进行比较。观测结果非常详细，可以从模型中推断出中子星及其环境的性质。例如，在双星系统大力神X-1中，吸积盘的形状直到最近才被理解，而日食前的下降并不被理解，因此目前正在研究中：这是鼓舞人心的新理论工作。除了中子星之外，夸克星的观测结果也正在研究中，并可能应用于软伽玛射线中继器（SGR）、异常x射线脉冲星（XRP）和伽玛射线暴（GRB）。另一个高能过程很重要的地方是超新星遗迹：一颗大质量恒星爆炸后产生的恒星抛射物、热腔和外层致密壳。在爆炸后几百到几千年，一颗直径几十光年的超新星遗迹以无线电波和x射线的形式发出明亮的光芒。现在，利用射电望远镜和x射线望远镜的新观测，人们对超新星遗迹的性质有了更好的了解。只有使用最新的x射线望远镜，这些仪器才足够好，可以获得关于百万度高温气体和也能发射x射线的相对论性粒子的特性的详细信息。对超新星残骸的物理过程进行建模，有助于我们对这些天体以及银河系中的气体和相对论性粒子有新的认识。

High energy processes can be studied by studying neutron stars. Neutron stars are numerous in our galaxy and are significant generators of high energy particles and radiation. This is due to their strong magnetic fields (up to several thousand billion Gauss), strong gravity, and fast spin rates (up to 600 times per second). Observations of high energy radiation from neutron stars are carried out using x-ray telescopes in Earth orbit. These are then compared to theory by means of making computer models of the gas, radiation,gravity, and magnetic fields around the neutron star. The observations are of enough detail that the properties of the neutron star and its environment can be deduced from the models. For example, in the binary system Hercules X-1, the accretion disk shape has only been recently understood, and the pre-eclipse dips are not understood, so are currently being investigated: this is inspiring new theoretical work. In addition to neutron stars, observational consequences of quark stars are being studied with possible applications to soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGR), anomalous X-ray pulsars (XRP) and gamma-ray bursts (GRB).Another location where high energy processes are important is in a supernova remnant: the stellar ejecta, hot cavity and outer dense shell produced after a massive star explodes. A few hundred to several thousand years after the explosion a supernova remnant of a few to tens of lightyears across shines brightly in radiowaves and x-rays. The properties of supernova remnants are now being much better understood using new observations with radio telescopes and x-ray telescopes. Only with the latest x-ray telescopes have the instruments been good enough to get detailed information on the properties of the million degree hot gas and of the relativistic particles which also emit x-rays. Modeling of physical processes in supernova remnants is leading to a new understanding of these objects, and also of the gas and relativistic particles in our galaxy.