Why do neutron stars pulse?

Lesson Five : Why Do Neutron Stars Pulse? Since the magnetic poles and spin axis of the neutron star are not aligned, the beams rotate with the neutron star and act like the beams of a lighthouse. read more

Every time we see a pulse from a pulsar, we are seeing radio waves from the beam of radiation emitted from the magnetic pole of a rotating neutron star. Each pulse reprents a single pass of the beam. A neutron star is not necessarily a pulsar, however. read more

Neutron stars have very strong magnetic fields. At the poles of these fields, particles are accelerated into highly energetic beams and are ejected from the neutron star in two focused beams. These beams are by far the brightest part of neutron stars. Neutron stars also spin very rapidly. read more

In a typical neutron star, the magnetic field is trillions of times that of the Earth's magnetic field; however, in a magnetar, the magnetic field is another 1000 times stronger. In all neutron stars, the crust of the star is locked together with the magnetic field so that any change in one affects the other. read more