Neutron star radiation from pulsars is thought to be primarily emitted from regions near their magnetic poles. If the magnetic poles do not coincide with the rotational axis of the neutron star, the emission beam will sweep the sky, and when seen from a distance, if the observer is somewhere in the path of the beam, it will appear as pulses of radiation coming from a fixed point in space (the so-called "lighthouse effect"). The fastest-spinning neutron star known is PSR J1748-2446ad, rotating at a rate of 716 times a second or 43,000 revolutions per minute, giving a linear speed at the
Beam spoiler Beam spoiler A beam spoiler is a piece of material, placed into the path of the photon beam in radiotherapy. The purpose of the spoiler is to reduce the depth of the maximum radiation dosage. The beam spoiler is composed of a sheet of material which has a low atomic number, typically lucite, the thickness of which is varied according to the beam energy and the distance by which the radiation dose must be shifted. As the primary photon beam passes through the plate, secondary electrons are generated. The beam exiting the spoiler is a combination of the spoiler-attenuated photons