Timing the Enigmatic Nearby Neutron Star RX J0720.4-3125

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Chandra Proposal Id #05500922

Scientific paper

The bright soft X-ray source RX J0720.4-3125 is one of the nearest neutron stars, and its proximity implies a large population of similar sources. However, its 8-s period distinguishes it from ordinary radio pulsars, and had led to its classification as a magnetar. Using Chandra we have derived an upper limit to the spin-down that excludes the magnetar model but allows for 3 other models: (1) an off-beam pulsar with 1e12 G B-field that was born with the unexpectedly long period of 8 s; (2) a remarkably high B-field (1e13 G) off-beam pulsar; (3) a neutron star power by accretion (disk or ISM). We propose an optimally designed series of timing observations which, when combined with existing data, will distinguish between these models and thus resolve the nature of this unusual source.

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