Constraining the Spin-down of the Nearby Isolated Neutron Star RX J0806.4-4123, and Implications for the Population of Nearby Neutron Stars

Understand

The nearby isolated neutron stars are a group of seven relatively slowly rotating neutron stars that show thermal X-ray spectra, most with broad absorption features.

• They are interesting both because they may allow one to determine fundamental neutron-star properties by modeling their spectra, and because they appear to be a large fraction of the overall neutron-star population.
• Here, we describe a series of XMM-Newton observations of the nearby isolated neutron star RX J0806.4-4123, taken as part of larger program of timing studies.
• From these, we limit the spin-down rate to dnu/dt=(-4.3+/-2.3)*10^{-16} Hz/s.