Related papers: Polarized X-rays from Magnetized Neutron Stars
Observations of short gamma-ray bursts indicate ongoing energy injection following the prompt emission, with the most likely candidate being the birth of a rapidly rotating, highly magnetised neutron star. We utilise X-ray observations of…
An extensive theoretical literature predicts that X-ray Polarimetry can directly determine relevant physical and geometrical parameters of astrophysical sources, and discriminate between models further than allowed by spectral and timing…
The excellent sensitivity of X-ray telescopes, such as Chandra and XMM-Newton, is ideal for the study of cooling neutron stars, which can emit at these energies. In order to exploit the wealth of information contained in the high quality…
This white paper highlights compact object and fundamental physics science opportunities afforded by high-throughput broadband (0.1-60 keV) X-ray polarization observations. X-ray polarimetry gives new observables with geometric information…
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…
We study the propagation of polarization light through the magnetosphere of neutron stars. At intermediate frequencies (the optical through the infrared), both the birefringence induced by the plasma and by quantumelectrodynamics influence…
Through polarization observations masers are unique probes of the magnetic field in a variety of different astronomical objects, with the different maser species tracing different physical conditions. In recent years maser polarization…
Among the possible extensions of General Relativity that have been put forward in order to address some long standing issues in our understanding of the Universe, Scalar-Tensor Theories have received a lot of attention for their simplicity.…
X-ray binary systems consist of a companion star and a compact object in close orbit. Thanks to their copious X-ray emission, these objects have been studied in detail using X-ray spectroscopy and timing. The inclination of these systems is…
Rotation-powered "recycled" millisecond pulsars are a variety of rapidly-spinning neutron stars that typically show thermal X-ray radiation due to the heated surface of their magnetic polar caps. Detailed numerical modeling of the…
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…
In the presence of strong magnetic fields, the vacuum becomes a birefringent medium. We show that this QED effect couples the direction of the polarization of photons leaving the NS surface, to the direction of the magnetic field along the…
Soft X-ray emission from neutron stars affords powerful diagnostic tools for uncovering their surface and interior properties, as well as their geometric configurations. In the atmospheres of neutron stars, the presence of magnetic fields…
We review the nuclear astrophysics aspects of accreting neutron stars in X-ray binaries. We summarize open astrophysical questions in light of recent observations and their relation to the underlying nuclear physics. Recent progress in the…
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…
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…
X-ray radiation from neutron stars manifests itself in a variety of settings. Isolated pulsars, and magnetars both exhibit quasi-thermal persistent soft X-ray emission from their surfaces. Transient magnetospheric bursts from magnetars and…
Soft Gamma-Ray Repeaters and Anomalous X-Ray Pulsars are extreme manifestations of the most magnetized neutron stars: magnetars. The phenomenology of their emission and spectral properties strongly support the idea that the magnetospheres…
Recent observations by XMM-Newton detected rotational pulsations in the total brightness and spectrum of several neutron stars. To properly interpret the data, accurate modeling of neutron star emission is necessary. Detailed analysis of…
We study the effect of vacuum polarization on the atmosphere structure and radiation spectra of neutron stars with surface magnetic fields B=10^14-10^15 G, as appropriate for magnetars. Vacuum polarization modifies the dielectric property…