X-ray pulsar

An X-ray pulsar is a rotating neutron star whose X-ray emission varies periodically as magnetic poles or accreting matter produce beams that sweep past an observer.

Neutron star: A compact stellar remnant composed mainly of densely packed neutrons. Its extreme density and compactness provide the setting for X-ray pulsar emission.
Accretion-powered X-ray pulsar: An X-ray pulsar powered by matter transferred from a companion star onto its neutron star surface. This subtype produces bright pulses from magnetically channelled accretion.
X-ray binary: A binary star system in which a compact object accretes matter from a companion and emits X-rays. Many X-ray pulsars are powered by mass transfer within such systems.
Rotation-powered pulsar: A pulsar whose radiation is powered primarily by the loss of rotational energy. Unlike accretion-powered X-ray pulsars, it does not rely on matter falling from a companion.
Pulsar: A rotating neutron star observed through periodic emission from beams that sweep across space. X-ray pulsars are pulsars whose periodic signals are detected in X-rays.
Cen X-3: A high-mass X-ray binary containing an accreting neutron star with regular X-ray pulsations. Its recurring pulses and eclipses make it a canonical accreting X-ray pulsar.
Roche-lobe overflow: Mass transfer that begins when a star expands beyond the gravitational region in which its material remains bound to it. It can feed an accreting neutron star in a close X-ray binary.
Magnetar: A neutron star whose exceptionally strong magnetic field powers intense high-energy emission and bursts. Magnetars can emit X-rays, but their activity is powered chiefly by magnetic energy.
Pulsar magnetosphere: The region around a pulsar shaped by its magnetic field and populated by plasma and electromagnetic fields. Its magnetic geometry directs emission and helps determine the pulse pattern.
Her X-1: An accreting X-ray pulsar in a binary system with a warped, precessing accretion disk. Its pulse and long-term modulation expose interactions between the star and disk.

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