Related papers: Modeling Phase-resolved Observations of the Surfac…
RX J1856.5-3754 is one of the brightest, nearby isolated neutron stars, and considerable observational resources have been devoted to its study. In previous work, we found that our latest models of a magnetic, hydrogen atmosphere matches…
Recent Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of a number of X-ray ``dim'' pulsating neutron stars revealed quite unexpected features in the emission from these sources. Their soft thermal spectrum, believed to originate directly from the star…
Observations of thermal radiation from neutron stars allow one to measure the surface temperatures and confront them with cooling scenarios. Detection of gravitationally redshifted spectral lines can yield the mass-to-radius ratio. In the…
Combining resolved spectroscopy with deep imaging, XMM-Newton is providing new insights on the particle acceleration processes long known to be at work in the magnetospheres of isolated neutron stars. According to a standard theoretical…
Highly magnetized neutron stars are promising candidates to explain some of the most peculiar astronomical phenomena, for instance, fast radio bursts, gamma-ray bursts, and superluminous supernovae. Pulsations of these highly magnetized…
Thermal surface radiation has been detected with X-ray instruments for several neutron stars with high spectral, spatial and timing resolution. These observations allow for direct study of fundamental properties of the source, but require…
Observations of cooling neutron stars allow to measure photospheric radii and to constrain the equation of state of nuclear matter at high densities. In this paper we concentrate on neutron stars, which show thermal (photospheric) X-ray…
We have observed the radio-quiet X-ray pulsar 1E 1207.4-5209 with the high throughput EPIC cameras onboard XMM-Newton. The spectrum of this peculiar source is characterized by two broad absorption features which present significant…
The isolated neutron star RX J0806.4-4123 was observed with XMM-Newton in November 2000. The data from the three EPIC instruments allowed us (i) to derive an improved X-ray position to an accuracy of 2-3'', (ii) to accumulate the first…
Thanks to the high counting statistics provided by a recent XMM-Newton observation of RX J1856.5-3754, we have discovered that this isolated neutron star pulsates at a period of 7.055 s. This confirms that RX J1856.5-3754 is similar in…
RX J1856.5-3754 is the X-ray brightest among the nearby isolated neutron stars. Its X-ray spectrum is thermal, and is reproduced remarkably well by a black-body, but its interpretation has remained puzzling. One reason is that the source…
We model the spin pulse intensity and hardness ratio profiles of the isolated neutron star RXJ0720.4--3125 using XMM-Newton data. The observed variation is approximately sinusoidal with a peak-to-peak amplitude of 15%, and the hardness…
The hydrogen and helium accreted by X-ray bursting neutron stars is periodically consumed in runaway thermonuclear reactions that cause the entire surface to glow brightly in X-rays for a few seconds. With models of the emission, the mass…
We report on the detailed modelling of the X-ray spectra of three likely neutron stars. The neutron stars, observed with XMM-Newton are found in three quiescent X-ray binaries in the globular clusters: omega Cen, M 13 and NGC 2808. Whether…
We have identified three possible ways in which future XMM-Newton observations can provide significant constraints on the equation of state of neutron stars. First, using a long observation of the neutron star X-ray transient CenX-4 in…
Neutron stars serve as unique laboratories for studying ultra-dense nuclear matter. The equation of state of neutron star matter can be effectively constrained by their masses and radii. Particular attention has been paid to rapidly…
Neutron stars are associated with diverse physical phenomena that take place in conditions characterized by ultrahigh densities as well as intense gravitational, magnetic, and radiation fields. Understanding the properties and interactions…
Surface thermal emission has been detected by ROSAT from four nearby young neutron stars. Assuming black body emission, the significant pulsations of the observed light curves can be interpreted as due to large surface temperature…
In August 2002, XMM-Newton devoted two full orbits to the observation of 1E 1207.4-5209, making this isolated neutron star the most deeply scrutinized galactic target of the mission. Thanks to the high throughput of the EPIC instrument,…
I summarize some constraints on the physics of neutron stars arising from X-ray observations of the surfaces of neutron stars, focusing on using models of low-magnetic-field neutron star atmospheres to interpret their X-ray spectra. I…