Magnetic Fields of Neutron Stars

Konar, Sushan; Bhattacharya, D.

doi:10.1007/978-94-010-0548-7_5

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 63 publications

(32 reference statements)

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“…Long-term magnetic field decay in normal isolated NSs due to processes such as ohmic dissipation, ambipolar diffusion, and Hall drift, and its effect on the NS thermal evolution has been considered in a number of studies [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]. In addition, the problem of magnetic field decay/burial in accreting NSs has attracted a lot of attention and has been the subject of a significant research effort in recent years due to its importance for understanding the origin of recycled millisecond radio-pulsars (see [30,31] for reviews). These are relatively old NSs found in some binary systems, which have presumably been spun up to millisecond periods by accretion sometime in the past.…”

Section: Magnetic Fields In the Interiors Of Nssmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plasma physics of extreme astrophysical environments

2014

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Among the incredibly diverse variety of astrophysical objects, there are some that are characterized by very extreme physical conditions not encountered anywhere else in the Universe. Of special interest are ultra-magnetized systems that possess magnetic fields exceeding the critical quantum field of about 44 TG. There are basically only two classes of such objects: magnetars, whose magnetic activity is manifested, e.g., via their very short but intense gamma-ray flares, and central engines of supernovae (SNe) and gamma-ray bursts (GRBs)--the most powerful explosions in the modern Universe. Figuring out how these complex systems work necessarily requires understanding various plasma processes, both small-scale kinetic and large-scale magnetohydrodynamic (MHD), that govern their behavior. However, the presence of an ultra-strong magnetic field modifies the underlying basic physics to such a great extent that relying on conventional, classical plasma physics is often not justified. Instead, plasma-physical problems relevant to these extreme astrophysical environments call for constructing relativistic quantum plasma (RQP) physics based on quantum electrodynamics (QED). In this review, after briefly describing the astrophysical systems of interest and identifying some of the key plasma-physical problems important to them, we survey the recent progress in the development of such a theory. We first discuss the ways in which the presence of a super-critical field modifies the properties of vacuum and matter and then outline the basic theoretical framework for describing both non-relativistic and RQPs. We then turn to some specific astrophysical applications of relativistic QED plasma physics relevant to magnetar magnetospheres and to central engines of core-collapse SNe and long GRBs. Specifically, we discuss the propagation of light through a magnetar magnetosphere; large-scale MHD processes driving magnetar activity and responsible for jet launching and propagation in GRBs; energy-transport processes governing the thermodynamics of extreme plasma environments; micro-scale kinetic plasma processes important in the interaction of intense electric currents flowing through a magnetar magnetosphere with the neutron star surface; and magnetic reconnection of ultra-strong magnetic fields. Finally, we point out that future progress in applying RQP physics to real astrophysical problems will require the development of suitable numerical modeling capabilities.

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Section: Magnetic Fields In the Interiors Of Nssmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plasma physics of extreme astrophysical environments

2014

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Magnetic field evolution of accreting neutron stars – IV. Effect of the curvature of space–time

Konar

2002

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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The evolution of the magnetic field in an accreting neutron star is investigated using a fully general relativistic treatment and assuming that initially the currents supporting the field are completely confined to the crust. We find that the field decay slows down owing to the inclusion of the curvature of space–time but the final results do not differ significantly from those obtained assuming a flat space–time. We also find that such modifications are small compared with the uncertainties introduced by a lack of precise knowledge of the neutron star microphysics.

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The micro-glitch in PSR B1821−24: a case for a strange pulsar?

Mandal

Konar

Dey

et al. 2009

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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The single glitch observed in PSR B1821−24, a millisecond pulsar in M28, is unusual on two counts. First, the magnitude of this glitch is at least an order of magnitude smaller (Δν/ν∼ 10−11) than the smallest glitch observed to date. Secondly, all other glitching pulsars have strong magnetic fields with B≳ 1011 G and are young, whereas PSR B1821−24 is an old recycled pulsar with a field strength of 2.25 × 109 G. We have earlier suggested that some of the recycled pulsars could actually be strange quark stars. In this work, we argue that the crustal properties of such a strange pulsar are just right to give rise to a glitch of this magnitude, explaining the scarcity of larger glitches in millisecond pulsars.

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Magnetic Fields of Neutron Stars

Cited by 3 publications

References 63 publications

Plasma physics of extreme astrophysical environments

Plasma physics of extreme astrophysical environments

Magnetic field evolution of accreting neutron stars – IV. Effect of the curvature of space–time

The micro-glitch in PSR B1821−24: a case for a strange pulsar?

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