Modeling Spectral Features from Isolated Neutron Stars
نویسندگان
چکیده
We study several effects that influence the strength of the proton cyclotron and atomic features in the thermal spectra of magnetic neutron stars. Magnetic field variations over the neutron star surface leads to broadening of features. Vacuum polarization can strongly suppress spectral lines when B >∼ 10 G. The surface spectrum is unaffected by vacuum polarization when B <∼ 7× 10 G; thus the proton cyclotron absorption line (and atomic lines) can have a large equivalent width, possibly explaining the features seen in some isolated neutron stars.
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