Related papers: Observations of cooling neutron stars
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…
We discuss recent Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of the bright isolated neutron star RX J1856.5-3754 and suggest that the absence of any line features is due to effects of a high magnetic field strength (~10^13 G). Using different…
ROSAT has discovered a new group of isolated neutron stars characterized by soft black-body like spectra (kT ~ 50-120 eV), apparent absence of radio emission and no association with supernovae remnants. So far only six such sources are…
We present a model of thermal X-ray emission from hot spots on the surface of a rotating compact star with an unmagnetized light-element atmosphere. An application to ROSAT, Chandra, and XMM-Newton X-ray observations of the nearest known…
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…
Neutron stars that show X-ray and $\gamma$-ray pulsed emission must, somewhere in the magnetosphere, generate electron-positron pairs. Such pairs are also required for radio emission, but then why do a number of these sources appear radio…
(shortened) As part of the guaranteed time, guest observer and calibration programs, XMM-Newton extensively observed a group of six thermally emitting, isolated neutron stars which are neither connected with a supernova remnant nor show…
To date more than half a dozen X-ray dim isolated neutron stars are known. Their X-ray spectra are characterized by soft blackbody-like emission (kT about 50-120 eV) without indication for harder, non-thermal components. These stars…
We present limits to the log N - log S curve for isolated neutron stars, both cooling and accreting neutron stars, which are not active as radio pulsars, as observed with the ROSAT All-Sky Survey and compare it with theoretical…
We report on follow-up observations with XMM-Newton, the FORS2 instrument at the ESO-VLT, and FAST, aiming to characterise the nature of five thermally emitting isolated neutron star (INS) candidates recently discovered from searches in the…
As many as $10^9$ neutron stars populate the Galaxy, but only $\approx 10^3$ are directly observed as pulsars or as accreting sources in X-ray binaries. In principle also the accretion of the interstellar medium may make isolated neutron…
X-ray emission is a common feature of all varieties of isolated neutron stars (INS) and, thanks to the advent of sensitive instruments with good spectroscopic, timing, and imaging capabilities, X-ray observations have become an essential…
Using observations made with the XMM-Newton Observatory, we report the first X-ray detection of the high magnetic field radio pulsar PSR B1916+14. We show that the X-ray spectrum of the pulsar can be well fitted with an absorbed blackbody…
We try to constrain the Equation-of-State (EoS) of supra-nuclear-density matter in neutron stars (NSs) by observations of nearby NSs. There are seven thermally emitting NSs known from X-ray and optical observations, the so-called…
Recent observations show that the thermal X-ray spectra of many isolated neutron stars are featureless and in some cases (e.g., RX J1856.5-3754) well fit by a blackbody. Such a perfect blackbody spectrum is puzzling since radiative…
We collate the evidence for rotation-powered neutron stars that are visible as X-ray sources and not as radio pulsars. Quantitative upper limits exist for the radio fluxes of eight objects, revealing a population at least an order of…
The X-ray spectra of isolated neutron stars (INSs) typically include a thermal component, that comes from the cooling surface, and a non-thermal component, produced by highly-relativistic particles accelerated in the stellar magnetosphere.…
We have carried out a search for radio emission at 820 MHz from six X-ray dim isolated neutron stars with the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Radio Telescope. No transient or pulsed emission was found using fast folding, fast Fourier transform,…
We present results of the analysis of data collected in 57-ks XMM-Newton and 505-ks Chandra observations of the nearby ~= 120 pc isolated neutron star RX J1856.5-3754. We confirm most of the statements made by Burwitz et al. (2001) who…
Presently seven nearby radio-quiet isolated neutron stars discovered in ROSAT data and characterized by thermal X-ray spectra are known. They exhibit very similar properties and despite intensive searches their number remained constant…