Effects of nonlinear electrodynamics in the magnetic field of a pulsar

Abstract

The eikonal method was used to construct differential equations for beams of electromagnetic waves in magnetic and gravitational fields of pulsars, according to the nonlinear electrodynamics of the vacuum. Integrating these equations using successive approximations allows us to find the ray equations and a parametric form of the law of motion for these beams’ electromagnetic pulses. It is shown that the electromagnetic pulse passing through the magnetic field of the pulsar propagates as two normal waves, arriving at the detector along two different rays and spending different amounts of time in transit. The angles of rays’ bending because of the nonlinearity of the electrodynamics of the vacuum and the delay time of the electromagnetic signal carried by one normal wave relative to the other normal wave are calculated. The magnitude of these effects is evaluated.