Beyond the 2nd Fermi Pulsar Catalog

Abstract Over thirteen times more γ‐ray pulsars have now been studied with the Large Area Telescope on NASA's Fermi satellite than the ten seen with the Compton Gamma‐Ray Observatory in the nineteen‐nineties. The large sample is diverse, allowing better understanding both of the pulsars themselves and of their roles in various cosmic processes. Here we explore the prospects for even more γ‐ray pulsars as Fermi enters the 2nd half of its nominal ten‐year mission. New pulsars will naturally tend to be fainter than the first ones discovered. Some of them will have unusual characteristics compared to the current population, which may help discriminate between models. We illustrate a vision of the future with a sample of six pulsars discovered after the 2nd Fermi Pulsar Catalog was written. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)