Central compact objects and their magnetic fields

Wynn C. G. Ho

Published 2012-10-26Version 1

Central compact objects (CCOs) are neutron stars that are found near the center of supernova remnants, and their association with supernova remnants indicates these neutron stars are young (<~ 10^4 yr). Here we review the observational properties of CCOs and discuss implications, especially their inferred magnetic fields. X-ray timing and spectral measurements suggest CCOs have relatively weak surface magnetic fields (~ 10^10 - 10^11 G). We argue that, rather than being created with intrinsically weak fields, CCOs are born with strong fields and we are only seeing a weak surface field that is transitory and evolving. This could imply that CCOs are one manifestation in a unified picture of neutron stars.