High energy processes in astrophysics

高能过程可以通过研究中子星来研究。中子星在我们的银河系中数量众多，是高能粒子和辐射的重要发生器。这是由于它们具有强大的磁场（高达数千亿高斯）、强大的重力和快速的旋转速度（高达每秒 600 次）。使用地球轨道上的 X 射线望远镜对中子星的高能辐射进行观测。然后通过建立中子星周围的气体、辐射、重力和磁场的计算机模型，将这些结果与理论进行比较。观测结果足够详细，可以从模型中推断出中子星及其环境的特性。例如，在双星系统 Hercules X-1 中，吸积盘形状直到最近才被了解，而日食前的倾角尚未被了解，因此目前正在研究：这正在激发新的理论工作。除了中子星之外，夸克星的观测结果也正在研究中，并可能应用于软伽马射线中继器（SGR）、异常X射线脉冲星（XRP）和伽马射线爆发（GRB）。高能过程的另一个重要位置是超新星遗迹：大质量恒星爆炸后产生的恒星喷射物、热空腔和外部致密壳层。爆炸后几百到几千年，直径几到几十光年的超新星遗迹在无线电波和X射线中发出明亮的光芒。现在，通过射电望远镜和 X 射线望远镜的新观测，人们可以更好地了解超新星遗迹的特性。只有使用最新的 X 射线望远镜，这些仪器才足以获得有关百万度高温气体和也发射 X 射线的相对论粒子特性的详细信息。超新星遗迹中物理过程的建模正在导致人们对这些物体以及我们星系中的气体和相对论粒子有了新的认识。

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.