The evolution of the magnetic fields of neutron stars

Abstract

The magnetic field is a very important attribute of a neutron star which not only determines its emission properties and hence its appearance to a distant observer, but also controls the course of its evolution. However, the field strength of a neutron star may itself evolve with time. Recent analyses suggest that an evolutionary connection between different categories of neutron stars, such as young, isolated radio pulsars, accreting X-ray sources and radio pulsars spun up in binary systems would require a reduction of the magnetic field strength of a neutron star if it is processed in a binary system. This article reviews the arguments behind this conclusion, and discusses a few theoretical models that attempt to explain such an evolution.