Abstract
As early as 1934 Baade and Zwicky correctly predicted the birth of the strange objects neutron stars in supernova explosions (Baade, Zwicky, 1934). The first models were calculated by Oppenheimer, Volkoff (1939), and the stage was then left for the next 28 years to particle physicists who struggled with the problem of matter at extreme densities (a struggle not yet finished). Radio astronomers accidentally found the first pulsar in 1967; it was interpreted soon after as a rapidly rotating neutron star (Gold, 1968), emitting synchroton radiation in a narrow beacon along the magnetic axis. In addition, neutron stars were identified as sources of energetic X-ray emission, resulting from accretion in binary systems. By now, the existence of neutron stars is well established.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsNotes
- 1.
The full beauty of this term can be savoured only in German, where the term “quark” means either a popular, soft white cheese or, in slang, complete nonsense.
- 2.
These effects include a shrinking of the orbit–and therefore a decrease of the orbital period (of the order of 60 ms)–due to the loss of gravitational waves. The observations agree perfectly with the predictions of Einstein’s theory of general relativity and are considered as indirect proof for the existence of gravitational waves. J.H. Taylor and R. Hulse were awarded with the Nobel Prize for this in 1993.
References
Baade, W., Zwicky, F. (1934): Phys. Rev. 45, 138
Baumgarte, Th.W., Shapiro, S.L. (2010): Numerical Relativity, (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge)
Camenzind, M. (2007): Compact Objects in Astrophysics, (Springer, Berlin Heidelberg)
Demorest, P.B., Pennucci, T., Ransom, S.M., Roberts, M.S.E., Hessels, J.W.T (2010): Nature, 467, 1081
Glendenning, N.K. (1997): Compact Stars, (Springer, New York)
Gold, T. (1968): Nature 218, 731
Haensel, P., Potekhin, A.Y., Yakolev, D.G. (2007): Neutron Stars I (Springer, New York)
Lorimer, D.R. (2008): Living Reviews in Relativity 11, 8
Oppenheimer, J.R., Volkoff, G.M. (1939): Phys. Rev. 55, 374
Pines, D. (1980): Journal de Physique 41, Coll. C2, suppl. au no. 3, pp. C2–111
Shapiro, S.L., Teukolsky, S.A. (1983): Black Holes, White Dwarfs, and Neutron Stars. The Physicsof Compact Objects (Wiley, New York)
Thompson, C., Duncan, R. (1995): Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 275, 255
Weber, F., Negreiros, R., Rosenfield, P. (2009): In Neutron Stars and Pulsars, ed. by W. Becker (Springer, Berlin Heidelberg), pp. 213
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kippenhahn, R., Weigert, A., Weiss, A. (2012). Neutron Stars. In: Stellar Structure and Evolution. Astronomy and Astrophysics Library. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-30304-3_38
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-30304-3_38
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-30255-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-30304-3
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyPhysics and Astronomy (R0)