The Neutron Star Zoo

Abstract

Since their discovery 50 years ago, neutron stars have continually astonished. From the first-discovered radio pulsars to the powerful magnetars that emit sudden bursts of X-rays and γ-rays, from the so-called Isolated Neutron Stars to Central Compact Objects, observational manifestations of neutron stars are surprisingly varied, with most properties totally unpredicted. The challenge is to cement an overarching physical theory of neutron stars and their birth properties that can explain this great diversity. Here I briefly survey the disparate neutron star classes, describe their properties, highlight recent results, and describe efforts at grand unification of this wealth of observational phenomena.