2011/11/30 by Johan Hansson, Anna Ponga
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #Quantum and Classical Electrodynamics #astro-ph.HE
paper · pdf · doi:10.5402/2011/378493
published as ISRN Astronomy and AstrophysicsVolume 2011 (2011), Article ID 378493 · Note added in proof (footnote)
openalex publication_date 2011/12/06 · arxiv created 2013/05/21 · arxiv updated 2013/05/22 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We argue that pulsars may be spin-polarized neutron stars, that is, cosmic permanent magnets. This would simply explain several observational facts about pulsars, including the “beacon effect” itself, that is, the static/stable misalignment of rotational and magnetic axes, the extreme temporal stability of the pulses, and the existence of an upper limit for the magnetic field strength, coinciding with the one observed in “magnetars.” Although our model admittedly is speculative, this latter fact seems to us unlikely to be pure coincidence.