Speaker
Description
X-ray dim isolated neutron stars (XDINSs) are famous for their amazingly clean thermal X-ray emission. The small known population that comprises only a handful sources, however, demands new identifications before their population properties, evolution, and links to other isolated neutron star (INS) families can be constrained. With the potential to constitute a significant fraction of all Galactic INSs, new members of the elusive XDINS class are ought to be hiding among the myriad of X-ray sources that are detected in the SRG/eROSITA All-Sky Survey (eRASS). In this talk, we will present the strategy to identify new XDINSs in the eRASS, discuss the selected candidates that will form the foundation of a representative sample of these objects and report the results of recent observations with NICER, XMM-Newton and the ESO-VLT that already confirm the thermal INS nature for several candidates.
