Are neutron stars outside our galaxy any different?

Abstract:

The TRAPUM  (TRAnsients and PUlsars with MeerKAT) collaboration has so far doubled the extragalactic radio pulsar population with a survey of nearby galaxies.

The completed Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) galaxy survey revealed a large proportion of neutron stars in this star-forming dwarf are young, including new Pulsar Wind Nebulae systems, as well as giant pulsar glitches and Vela-like behaviour. The prolific Large Magellanic Cloud survey is still under way.

This prompted a new project to study the whole Neutron Star population of the SMC as a nearby template for the high-redshift, low-metallicity, star-forming dwarf galaxies that are producing hyperactive Fast Radio Bursts, exotic supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, and large High-Mass X-ray Binary populations. I will present the implications of this project and our initial investigations.

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