An Analytic Approximation to the Bounce-Average Drift Angle for Gyrosynchrotron-Emitting Electrons in the Magnetosphere of V471 Tauri

Abstract

Numerical modelling (Nicholls & Storey 1999) suggests that the eclipse of a wedge of enhanced number density of mildly relativistic electrons is responsible for the variations in quiescent radio emission of the binary system V471 Tauri. In the model, the wedge of enhanced density is created by electrons accelerated in the interaction region of the magnetospheres of the two stars, which subsequently drift in azimuth while emitting gyrosynchrotron emission. We present here an analytic approximation to the opening angle of the wedge of enhanced density and show that it is consistent with the opening angle derived from numerical modelling for reasonable values of the input parameters.