2026-07-072026-07-07http://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/6734I describe recent high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy of surface emission from nearby, thermally emitting neutron stars. I focus on RX J0720.4-3125, RX J1308.6+2127, and RX J1605.3+3249, all of which have similar temperature, but differ in the presence and strength of absorption features in their spectra. I discuss possible causes for the absorption we see in two sources, and conclude that it may be proton cyclotron line absorption, but weakened due to the strong-field quantum electrodynamics effect of vacuum resonance mode conversion.4 pages, 1 figure. To appear in "Young Neutron Stars and Their Environments" (IAU Symposium 218, ASP Conference Proceedings), eds F. Camilo and B. M. GaenslerAstrophysicstext