Axisymmetric rotator models as pulsars: abject failure

Abstract

The well-known Goldreich & Julian (1969) model postulated that even a rotating neutron star with an aligned magnetic dipole moment would be an active pulsar. Although it was suspected as long ago as 1980 that this model could not work as posed, we have now seen a resurgence of models that do not realize the basic underlying problems. Unless such models can explicitly identify where the failure of the GJ model is vitiated, they may not be a useful place to devote so much theoretical effort.