Paper: astro-ph/0601063
Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2006 00:54:41 GMT (8kb)

Title: Physical Interpretations of Rotating Radio Transients

Authors: Bing Zhang (UNLV), Janusz Gil (Zielona Gora Univ) and Jaroslow Dyks
(Nicolaus Copernicus Center)

Comments: 3 pages, submitted to ApJL
\\
Nearly a dozen of Rotating RAdio Transients (RRATs) have been discovered
recently. These objects share similar spin parameters with normal radio pulsars
but distinguish themselves from normal pulsars by being quiescent most of the
time and only becoming radio bright occasionally. We discuss two possible
interpretations to the phenomenon. The first model suggests that these objects
are pulsars slightly below the radio emission ``death line'', and become active
occasionally when the conditions for pair production and coherent emission are
satisfied. The second model invokes a radio emission direction reversal in
normal pulsars, as has been introduced to interpret the peculiar mode changing
phenomenon in PSR B1822-09. In this picture, our line of sight misses the main
radio emission beam of RRATs but happens to sweep the emission beam when the
radio emission direction is reversed. RRATs are therefore the other half of the
normal ``nulling'' pulsars. We suggest that X-ray observations can provide
clues to differentiate these two possibilities.

\\ ( http://arXiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0601063 , 8kb)