Pulsar Spectrum: The Mystery of Neutron Star's Black Body Emission Revealed

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the emission spectrum of neutron stars, particularly pulsars. Newly formed neutron stars have temperatures ranging from 1011 to 1012 Kelvin, but this temperature decreases to around 106 K within a few years due to neutrino emissions. At this lower temperature, neutron stars predominantly emit X-rays, while their rotational beams are observed in the radio spectrum. Additionally, neutron stars emit visible light uniformly across the spectrum, giving them a white appearance.

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  • Understanding of neutron star physics
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  • Familiarity with temperature scales in astrophysics
  • Basic concepts of pulsar rotation and emissions
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  • Research neutron star temperature dynamics and cooling processes
  • Explore X-ray astronomy techniques for studying neutron stars
  • Learn about the electromagnetic spectrum and its applications in astrophysics
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Astronomy students, astrophysicists, and researchers interested in neutron star emissions and pulsar behavior will benefit from this discussion.

alialice
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I know that pulsars have been discovered as radio sources. But ... where does the hypothetical black body spectrum of a neutron star peak? Does it emit more in radio or in X rays?
Thank you
 
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Although the first detected pulsars emitted in radio wavelengths, they have, subsequently, been found to emit in visible light, X-ray, and/or gamma ray wavelengths.

Your question might be read as a question about a neutron star temperature: well, the temperature inside a newly formed neutron star is from around [itex]10^{11}[/itex] to [itex]10^{12}[/itex] kelvin. However, the huge number of neutrinos it emits carries away so much energy that the temperature falls within a few years to around [itex]10^{6}[/itex] K. At this temperature, most of the light generated by a neutron star is in X-rays. Note that in visible light, neutron stars probably radiate approximately the same energy in all parts of visible spectrum, and therefore appear white.

The beam due to their rotation is expected to be in the radio spectrum: in fact we observe periodic-variability in the radio part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

I hope I studied well in order to answer your question correctly.
 
Very good! Thank you for your answer! By the way, it seems like you're studying for an astronomy exam!
 

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