Faint neutron star at the center of a supernova remnant
A central compact object (CCO) is an x-ray source found near the center of a young, nearby supernova remnant (SNR). Given the observed x-ray flux and spectra observed from these objects, the almost certain conclusion is that CCOs are the remnant neutron stars which resulted from the recent supernova. Unlike most pulsars, CCOs generally lack pulsed radio emission or variation in the observed x-rays due to such phenomena being either nonexistent or difficult to detect. The weaker magnetic fields than most other detected neutron stars means that most of the detected x-rays are due to blackbody radiation. Confirmation that the CCO is associated with the past supernova can be done using the kinematics of the objects and matching them to the age and kinematics of the host SNR.
The detection in 1980 of 1E 161348-5055 at the center of SNR RCW 103 using the Einstein Observatory was once touted as the first CCO discovery, but is now classified as a slow-rotating magnetar due to magnetar outburst detection. Since that object's discovery, ten CCOs have been positively identified with a further two as candidates.
List of CCOs.
The following list of confirmed CCOs and their associated supernova remnants is curated by Andrea De Luca, astronomer at the National Institute for Astrophysics.
References.
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