Neutron Stars and Pulsars
Neutron stars are the most compact astronomical objects in the universe which are accessible by direct observation. Studying neutron stars means studying physics in regimes unattainable in any terrestrial laboratory. Understanding their observed complex p
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Werner Becker Editor
Neutron Stars and Pulsars
Neutron Stars and Pulsars
Astrophysics and Space Science Library EDITORIAL BOARD Chairman W. B. BURTON, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.A. ([email protected]) and University of Leiden, The Netherlands ([email protected]) F. BERTOLA, University of Padua, Italy J. P. CASSINELLI, University of Wisconsin, Madison, U.S.A. C. J. CESARSKY, European Southern Observatory, Garching bei Munchen, ¨ Germany P. EHRENFREUND, Leiden University, The Netherlands O. ENGVOLD, University of Oslo, Norway A. HECK, Strasbourg Astronomical Observatory, France E. P. J. VAN DEN HEUVEL, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands V. M. KASPI, McGill University, Montreal, Canada J. M. E. KUIJPERS, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands H. VAN DER LAAN, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands P. G. MURDIN, Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, UK F. PACINI, Istituto Astronomia Arcetri, Firenze, Italy V. RADHAKRISHNAN, Raman Research Institute, Bangalore, India B. V. SOMOV, Astronomical Institute, Moscow State University, Russia R. A. SUNYAEV, Space Research Institute, Moscow, Russia
Neutron Stars and Pulsars
by
Werner Becker (Ed.)
ABC
Werner Becker Max-Planck-Institut fur Extraterrestische Physik Giessenbachstrasse 1 85741 Garching Germany
, Cover Image: Artist s view on a pulsar magnetosphere with emission beams. c by W. Becker
ISBN: 978-3-540-76964-4 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-540-76965-1
e-ISBN: 978-3-540-76965-1
Library of Congress Control Number: 2008935631 c 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Violations are liable to prosecution under the German Copyright Law. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
Cover design: eStudio Calamar S.L. Printed on acid-free paper springer.com
Preface
When the existence of neutron stars was confirmed by the discovery of radio pulsars in August 1967, there was general optimism that it should not be too difficult to explore and understand the physical properties of a rotating magnetised compact star with ∼10 km radius. Forty years and more than 13 PhD student-generations later, everybody involved in the neutron star business has lost this illusion, meanwhile learning how complex neutron stars are and how difficult it is to understand their physical properties. Neutron stars
