How are pulsars connected to neutron stars?

Pulsars are a specific class of rapidly spinning neutron stars. A pulsar is essentially a neutron star that emits regular pulses of electromagnetic radiation—such as radio waves, X-rays, or gamma rays—as it rotates.12

The connection between the two is foundational: the discovery of pulsars in 1967 provided the first observational evidence that neutron stars exist. While all pulsars are neutron stars, they are distinguished by their intense magnetic fields and rapid rotation. As the neutron star rotates, its magnetic poles sweep beams of radiation across space; when these beams pass Earth, they are detected as rhythmic pulses.21

These objects are formed during supernova explosions, where the core of a massive star collapses into an extremely dense body composed primarily of neutrons. While some neutron stars may be "radio-quiet" or exhibit different behaviors like those seen in magnetars, pulsars represent the subset of these dense stars that manifest as pulsating cosmic beacons.12