Abstract

X-ray pulsars (XRPs) are accreting, strongly magnetized neutron stars (NSs) in close binary systems. The magnetic field strength in these objects is typically about 1.e12G and can reach up to 1.e14 G in some cases. XRPs are detected across a wide luminosity range, with the faintest at approximately 1.e33 erg/s, while the brightest exceed 1.e40 erg/s – surpassing the Eddington limit for NSs by a factor of hundreds. This makes XRPs some of the brightest and most powerful permanent magnets in the Universe. Strong magnetic fields in XRPs shape the geometry of accretion flows and influence fundamental processes at the level of quantum wave functions. In my talk, I will discuss recent findings and current questions in our understanding of accretion flow geometry and the physics within NS magnetospheres in XRPs. We will explore how these flows affect key observational features of accreting, strongly magnetized NSs and how X-ray observations can be used to probe these phenomena.