Magnetar-like emission from the young pulsar in Kes 75

We report the detection of magnetar- like x- ray bursts from the young pulsar PSR J1846- 0258, at the center of the supernova remnant Kes 75. This pulsar, long thought to be exclusively rotation- powered, has an inferred surface dipolar magnetic field of 4.9 x 10(13) gauss, which is higher than those of the vast majority of rotation- powered pulsars, but lower than those of the approximately 12 previously identified magnetars. The bursts were accompanied by a sudden flux increase and an unprecedented change in timing behavior. These phenomena lower the magnetic and rotational thresholds associated with magnetar- like behavior and suggest that in neutron stars there exists a continuum of magnetic activity that increases with inferred magnetic field strength.