Magnetars And Neutron Stars

The universe is an extremely complex system that is difficult to understand. To this day, astrophysicists and astronomers are continuously learning new things. One area that amazes scientists is magnetars and pulsars. This report will discuss the formation of these stars, their characteristics, and the effects they have.
Magnetars and pulsars are formed from the remnants of a Type II supernova 1. The exploding star is typically bigger than the sun 2. Having a mass greater than 1.989 X 10^30 kg 3.The star often dies because they no longer have the light force pushing outwards which counter acts the massive gravitational force (1 of the 4 forces) pulling inwards 2. As a result, the gravitational force overcome the repulsive force causing the
They can range from 20-24km in diameter, but they can contain up to twice the mass of the sun which has a diameter of (1.392 million km). A sugar cube size of material from a neutron star would weigh about 1 billion tons, roughly the size of Mount Everest according to NASA.
Normally a star is seen by the light it gives off 5. However, neutron stars are very hot, roughly 100,000K, as a result most of their energy comes off as x-rays (not visible light). For that reason, it makes them difficult to see and detect.
Neutron stars have about three characteristics that can be detected. First, is their intense gravitational force. It’s so powerful that if a marshmallow were to be pulled by the force, it would impact the stars surface to an equivalent of 1000 hydrogen bombs 6. Second, is by detecting the radiation that is emitted. Third, is by seeing the pulsars pulse.
When the remnants of the supernova are compressed a neutron star is formed 2. A just born neutron star is referred as a pulsar. The pulsar is a rapidly rotating neutron star that emits regular pulses of radio waves and other electromagnetic radiation at rates of up to 1000 pulses/second 6
However, after the eruption the new star can spin several times per second8. The reason is due to the conservation of angular momentum 8. When the mass of the huge star is compressed into a smaller highly dense form, the speed of rotation increases significantly.
As of now, nearly 2000 pulsars have been detected 4. Most of them rotate once per second (slow pulsars), while more than 200 pulsars rotate over hundreds of times per second (millisecond pulsar). The fastest known pulsar can rotate more than 700 times per second.
The way these stars pulse is amazing. Jets of particles shoot from the pulsar’s magnetic poles, emitting powerful beams of light 7. As the pulsar rotates the beams go around like a lamp on a lighthouse, making the star appear to pulse on and off.
All highly complex systems works towards its end as time progresses. For that reason, pulsars slow down over a period of time, and also gradually stops emitting radiation 4. This stage of life is called the pulsar graveyard