Nearby, Thermally Emitting Neutron Stars

Abstract

We describe a sample of thermally emitting neutron stars discovered in the ROSAT All-Sky Survey. We discuss the basic observational properties of these objects and conclude that they are nearby, middle-aged pulsars with moderate magnetic fields that we see through their cooling radiation. While these objects are potentially very useful as probes of matter at very high densities and magnetic fields, our lack of understanding of their surface emission limits their current utility. We discuss this and other outstanding problems: the spectral evolution of one sources and the relation of this population to the overall pulsar population.