  In this letter we show that Quantum Vacuum Friction (QVF) should play an
important role in neutron star evolution. Taking into account this effect we
show that magnetars could be understood as a natural evolution of standard
pulsars. For the Crab pulsar, of which the characteristic age is known, we
present the first completely coherent time evolution for its period and braking
index. For this pulsar we also give the predicted value of the current first
derivative of the braking index, providing a very important test to confirm
QVF.
