AN ENIGMA OF THE PRZYBYLSKI STAR

Abstract

A new scenario to explain the Przybylski star phenomenon is proposed. It is based on the supposition that this star is a component of a binary system with a neutron star (similar to the hypothesis proposed earlier by Gopka, Ul’yanov & Andrievskii). The main difference with previous scenario is as following. The orbits of the stars of this system lie in the plane of the sky (or very close to this plane). Thus, we see this star (and its companion) nearly polar-on, and therefore we cannot detect the orbital motion (spectral line based) from the Przybylski star spectrum. In relation to the Przybylski star, the neutron star is a γ-ray pulsar for it. A neutron star is a source of relativistic particles and radiation emitted from the certain parts of its surface. The topology of this radiation strongly depends on the the magnetic field configuration of the neutron star. Existing models suppose that 1) high-energy electronpositron pairs and hard radiation are produced in the (magnetic) polar zones. Accelerated charge particles that move along magnetic lines emit electromagnetic quanta. In this model the radio-emission is genetically linked with the emission of the γ-quanta. 2) Another model of the outer gap is based on the assumption that there is a vacuum gap in the outer magnetosphere of the neutron star, which arises due to the constant escape of charged particles through the light cylinder along the open magnetic field lines. The direction of such escape may be roughly orthogonal to the rotation axis. If the rotational axes of the Przybylski star and the neutron star are close in direction (or even aligned), charged particles and hard radiation ejected in the approximately orthogonal direction at a large solid angle can enter the Przybylski star atmosphere, causing there different physical processes. As a possible source of the free neutrons could be the nuclear reactions between high-energy γ-quanta and nuclei of some atoms in the Przybylski star atmosphere gas. As a result, photoneutrons can be generated. Large enough neutron flux can be produced in the reactions with quite abundant element of the atmosphere gas (for example, helium). The photoneutrons produced in these reactions are rapidly thermalized and, as resonant neutrons, react with seed nuclei in the s-process. It should be also noted that together with s-process elements, the deuterium nuclei could be formed as a result of the interactions of the free resonant neutrons with the hydrogen atoms, but this issue has not yet been worked out.