Related papers: The Magnetic Fields of Anomalous X-ray Pulsars
Until 2004, Anomalous X-ray Pulsars (AXPs) were known as strong emitters of soft X-rays only (< 10 keV). The discovery of hard X-ray component from AXPs provided important insight about their emission properties while it posed a serious…
The X-ray emission of magnetic intermediate mass Ap/Bp stars is reviewed and put into context of intrinsic as well as extrinsic hypotheses for its origin. New X-ray observations of Ap/Bp stars are presented and combined with an updated…
Many of the properties of anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXPs) and soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs) are still a matter of much debate, as is the connection (if any) between these two groups of sources. In cases where we can identify the supernova…
X-ray pulsars shine thanks to the conversion of the gravitational energy of accreted material to X-ray radiation. The accretion rate is modulated by geometrical and hydrodynamical effects in the stellar wind of the pulsar companions and/or…
Two classes of X-ray/$\gamma$-ray sources, the Soft Gamma Repeaters and the Anomalous X-ray Pulsars have been identified with isolated, slowly spinning magnetars, neutron stars whose emission draws energy from their extremely strong…
Well before the radio discovery of pulsars offered the first observational confirmation for their existence (Hewish et al., 1968), it had been suggested that neutron stars might be endowed with very strong magnetic fields of…
Accreting X-ray pulsars, located in X-ray binaries, are neutron stars with magnetic fields as strong as $B\sim10^{12\text{--}13}$ G. This review offers a concise overview of the accretion and radiation processes of X-ray pulsars and…
In the last few years it has been recognized that two apparently distinct classes of peculiar high-energy sources are actually related and can be explained as young neutron stars with magnetic fields as high as 10e14 - 10e15 Gauss. One of…
The sources of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays ($E\gtrsim10^{19}$ eV) is still an open question in astroparticle physics and in the last years some efforts were made to understand its origin. In this work we consider white dwarf pulsars…
Neutron Stars are among the most exotic objects in the Universe. A neutron star, with a mass of 1.4-2 Solar masses within a radius of about 10-15 km, is the most compact stable configuration of matter in which degeneracy pressure can still…
Magnetars are fascinating objects that are thought to be neutron stars powered by their strong internal magnetic fields. Clear evidence of a sudden spin-down was detected in the Anomalous X-ray Pulsar AXP 1E 2259+586, an object cataloged as…
The intense magnetic fields of neutron stars naturally lead to strong anisotropy and polarization of radiation emanating from their surfaces, both being sensitive to the hot spot position on the surface. Accordingly, pulse phase-resolved…
The observational properties of the six known Anomalous X-ray Pulsars are described in the context of the main theoretical models for this enigmatic class of objects.
We explore the possibility that axion-like-particles (ALPs), which would be produced in the core of magnetars and would then convert in the magnetosphere into photons, can explain magnetar hard X-ray spectra. We remark that this scenario…
The Galactic population of rotation-powered (aka radio) millisecond pulsars (MSPs) exhibits diverse X-ray properties. Energetic MSPs show pulsed non-thermal radiation from their magnetospheres. Eclipsing binary MSPs predominantly have X-ray…
Two sensitive Chandra X-ray observations of the heavily-reddened galactic starburst cluster Westerlund 1 in May and June 2005 detected a previously unknown X-ray pulsar (CXO J164710.20-455217). Its slow 10.6 s pulsations, moderate X-ray…
The available data on isolated X-ray pulsars, their wind nebulae, and the supernova remnants which are connected to some of these sources are analyzed. It is shown that electric fields of neutron stars tear off charged particles from the…
Magnetars are believed to host the strongest magnetic fields in the present universe ($B\gtrsim10^{14}$ G) and the study of their persistent emission in the X-ray band offers an unprecendented opportunity to gain insight into physical…
Neutron stars are among the most fascinating astrophysical sources, being characterized by strong gravity, densities about the nuclear one or even above, and huge magnetic fields. Their observational signatures can be extremely diverse…
Ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are off-nuclear point sources in nearby galaxies with luminosities well exceeding the Eddington limit for stellar-mass objects. It has been recognized after the discovery of pulsating ULXs (PULXs) that a…