Gamma Ray Pulsars and Opportunities for the MACE Telescope

Rapidly rotating neutron stars with very strong surface magnetic fields are observed to emit pulsed emission in the whole range of electromagnetic spectrum from radio to high energy gamma-rays. These so called pulsars are known for their exceptional rotational stability. The radio emission from pulsars is generally believed to be powered by the rotational energy of neutron stars. More than 3000 pulsars have been currently known from radio observations, however, it is observed that a large population of pulsars is also bright in optical, X-rays and gamma-rays. The Fermi-LAT observations in the energy range above 100 MeV have discovered about 300 pulsars. However, origin of high energy non-thermal radiation from pulsars is not completely understood and remains an active area of research. In this contribution, we report a summary of observational features of the gamma-ray pulsars and perform pulsar population study to predict their detectability for the MACE gamma-ray telescope, which has just started its regular science operation at Hanle in India.