Related papers: Thermal emission from Isolated Neutron Stars and t…
X-ray emission from the surface of isolated neutron stars (NSs) has been now observed in a variety of sources. The ubiquitous presence of pulsations clearly indicates that thermal photons either come from a limited area, possibly heated by…
Pulsars are rapidly spinning neutron stars, that radiate at the expense of their strong magnetic field and their high surface temperature. Five decades of multi-wavelength observations showed a large variety of physical parameters, such as…
The thermal emission from isolated neutron stars is not well understood. The X-ray spectrum is very close to a blackbody but there is a systematic optical excess flux with respect to the extrapolation to low energy of the best blackbody…
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…
The observed polarization properties of thermal radiation from isolated, cooling neutron stars depend on both the emission processes at the surface and the effects of the magnetized vacuum which surrounds the star. Here we investigate the…
We investigate the thermal emission from magnetic neutron star surfaces in which the cohesive effects of the magnetic field have produced the condensation of the atmosphere and the external layers. This may happen for sufficiently cool…
Thermal emission from the surface of an ultramagnetic neutron star is believed to contribute significantly to the soft X-ray flux of the Anomalous X-ray Pulsars. We compare the detailed predictions of models of the surface emission from a…
We show that the expected inhomogeneous temperature distribution induced at the surface of a neutron star by the anisotropy of heat transport in the magnetized envelope allows us to understand quite well the observed pulse profiles of the…
This is a review of X-ray emission from all types of isolated neutron stars, with an emphasis on rotation-powered pulsars. Topics include magnetospheric and thermal emission, as well as pulsar wind nebulae.
The evolution of the multipolar structure of the magnetic field of isolated neutron stars is studied assuming the currents to be confined to the crust. Lower orders ($\le 25$) of multipole are seen to evolve in a manner similar to the…
Confronting theoretical models with observations of thermal radiation emitted by neutron stars is one of the most important ways to understand the properties of both, superdense matter in the interiors of the neutron stars and dense…
The thermal X-ray spectra of several isolated neutron stars display deviations from a pure blackbody. The accurate physical interpretation of these spectral features bears profound implications for our understanding of the atmospheric…
The possibility for direct investigation of thermal emission from isolated neutron stars was opened about 25 years ago with the launch of the first X-ray observatory, Einstein. A significant contribution to this study was provided by ROSAT…
Observations of magnetars and some of the high magnetic field pulsars have shown that their thermal luminosity is systematically higher than that of classical radio-pulsars, thus confirming the idea that magnetic fields are involved in…
Thermal surface emissions have now been detected from more than a dozen isolated neutron stars, including radio pulsars, radio-quiet neutron stars and magnetars. These detections can potentially provide important information on the interior…
Since the opacity of a magnetized plasma depends on polarization of radiation, the radiation emergent from atmospheres of neutron stars with strong magnetic fields is expected to be strongly polarized. The degree of linear polarization,…
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…
Recently launched x-ray telescopes have discovered several candidate isolated neutron stars. The thermal radiation from these objects may potentially constrain our understanding of nuclear physics in a realm inaccessible to terrestrial…
We review the current status of the theory of thermal emission from the surface layers of neutron stars with strong magnetic fields $B\sim 10^{10}-10^{15}$ G, including formation of the spectrum in a partially ionized atmosphere and at a…
Cooling of neutron stars with dipole magnetic fields is simulated using a realistic model of the anisotropic surface temperature distribution produced by magnetic fields. Suppression of the electron thermal conductivity of outer stellar…