The magnetar origin of pulsars
  This paper suggests the idea that all neutron stars experienced at birth an
ultrafast decay of their magnetic fields from their initial values to their
current surface values. If the electromagnetic energy radiated during this
field decay is converted into kinetic and rotational energies of the neutron
star then the decay time is of the order of 10^(-4) s provided that the initial
magnetic fields lie in the range of 10^(15)-10^(16) G and the initial periods
in the range 1-20 ms. This means that all neutron stars are born with magnetic
fields typical of magnetars and periods typical of millisecond pulsars. More
explicitly, energy considerations and a birth-ultrafast-magnetic-field decay
imply a model that consistently relates birth properties of neutron stars such
as the initial period and the initial magnetic field with current properties
such as the observed period, the surface magnetic field and the transverse
velocity. This model provides a solution to the long-standing problem of
finding a physical explanation for the observed high velocities of neutron
stars. These stars acquire their space velocities during the birth ultrafast
decay of their magnetic fields. The origin of this field decay points to
magnetic instabilities, which are inevitable if neutron stars are born as
magnetars.
