Pulsar Phenomenology

Most of the basic observational facts about radio pulsars were established shortly after their discovery [145

] in 1967. Although there are still many open questions, the basic model has long been established beyond all reasonable doubt, i.e. pulsars are rapidly rotating, highly magnetised neutron stars formed during the supernova explosions of massive stars.

2.1 The lighthouse model
2.2 Pulse periods and slowdown rates
2.3 Pulse profiles
2.4 The pulsar distance scale
2.5 Pulsars in binary systems
2.6 Evolution of normal and millisecond pulsars
  2.6.1 High-mass systems
  2.6.2 Low-mass systems
2.7 Intermediate mass binary pulsars
2.8 Isolated recycled pulsars
2.9 A new class of millisecond pulsars?
2.10 Pulsar velocities
2.11 Pulsar searches
  2.11.1 All-sky searches
  2.11.2 Searches close to the plane of our Galaxy
  2.11.3 Searches at intermediate and high Galactic latitudes
  2.11.4 Targeted searches of globular clusters
  2.11.5 Targeted searches of other regions
  2.11.6 Extragalactic searches
  2.11.7 Surveys with new telescopes
2.12 Going further

2 Pulsar Phenomenology