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"Which of these isolated neutron stars must have had a binary companion?

a) a pulsar inside a supernova remnant that pulses 30 times per second
b) an isolated pulsar that pulses 600 times per second
c) a neutron star that does not pulse at all"

1 Answer

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Final answer:

The isolated neutron star that must have had a binary companion is the pulsar inside a supernova remnant that pulses 30 times per second.

Step-by-step explanation:

In binary systems, neutron stars can have a binary companion. A binary companion is another star that orbits the neutron star. Among the given options, option a) is the correct answer as a pulsar inside a supernova remnant is likely to have had a binary companion. This is because the highly magnetic, rapidly rotating neutron star that forms a pulsar with a regular pulsing pattern could not have achieved such a rapid spin by the birth of the neutron star alone.

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