As stated above, neutron stars are believed to be left behind after a Type II supernova explosion. Exactly how they are formed is a complex process, and it is believed that during the moment of implosion in a massive star, just prior to the actual explosion, core electrons smash violently into protons, creating neutrons and neutrinos (Chaisson, 2002). At the very high pressures involved in this collapse, it is energetically favorable to combine protons and electrons to form neutrons plus neutrinos. The neutrinos subsequently leave the core at the speed of light, which accelerates the collapse of the neutron core. The core continues to contract until its particles come into contact and neutron degeneracy pressure causes the centra

Radio astronomers were the first to discover celestial objects which corresponded to neutron stars hypothesized by astronomers. In 1967, astronomers Bell (now Burnell), and Hewish, discovered regularly pulsing radio sources, which were eventually named pulsars (Shu, 1982). These pulsars were found to actually be magnetized, spinning neutron stars which produced a rotating beam of radiation, creating regularly spaced pulses that can be detected by any observer in the path of the rotating beam (Chaisson, 2002). The radiation coming from these objects is thought to be produced by the combination of rapid rotation and strong magnetic fields, which induce strong electric fields near the surface of the star. These electric fields should force electrical charges to flow from the surface, and it is thought that charged particles flow out of the magnetic polar caps of the neutron star, parallel to the magnetic field lines (Shu, 2002). The acceleration of the charged particles trying to follow the curved trajectories caused by the magnetic field structure would then cause the particles to radiate (Shu, 2002). Most pulsars emit radiation in the form of radio waves, but some have been detected which pulse in the visible, X-ray and gamma-ray parts of the spectrum (Chaisson, 2002).

Some topics in this essay:
Type II, Burnell Hewish, Dwarfs Neutron, , neutron stars, chaisson 2002, magnetic field, shu 1982, neutron star, Earth Chaisson, magnetic field lines, neutron degeneracy pressure, electric fields, magnetic fields, shu 2002, type ii supernova, rotating beam, shock wave,