Onset of superconductivity and retention of magnetic fields in cooling neutron stars
Onset of superconductivity and retention of magnetic fields in cooling neutron stars
A superconductor of paired protons is thought to form in the core of neutron stars soon after their birth. Minimum energy conditions suggest that magnetic flux is expelled from the superconducting region due to the Meissner effect, such that the neutron star core retains or is largely devoid of magnetic fields for some nuclear equation of state and proton pairing models. We show via neutron star cooling simulations that the superconducting region expands faster than flux is expected to be expelled because cooling timescales are much shorter than timescales of magnetic field diffusion. Thus magnetic fields remain in the bulk of the neutron star core for at least 10^6 − 10^7 yr. We estimate the size of flux free regions at 107 yr to be <~ 100 m for a magnetic field of 10^11 G and possibly smaller for stronger field strengths.
213-216
Ho, Wynn C. G.
d78d4c52-8f92-4846-876f-e04a8f803a45
Andersson, Nils
2dd6d1ee-cefd-478a-b1ac-e6feedafe304
Graber, Vanessa
51902396-fcfb-484a-b21d-14443aaade48
1 September 2017
Ho, Wynn C. G.
d78d4c52-8f92-4846-876f-e04a8f803a45
Andersson, Nils
2dd6d1ee-cefd-478a-b1ac-e6feedafe304
Graber, Vanessa
51902396-fcfb-484a-b21d-14443aaade48
Ho, Wynn C. G., Andersson, Nils and Graber, Vanessa
(2017)
Onset of superconductivity and retention of magnetic fields in cooling neutron stars.
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, 13 (S337), .
(doi:10.1017/S174392131700970X).
Abstract
A superconductor of paired protons is thought to form in the core of neutron stars soon after their birth. Minimum energy conditions suggest that magnetic flux is expelled from the superconducting region due to the Meissner effect, such that the neutron star core retains or is largely devoid of magnetic fields for some nuclear equation of state and proton pairing models. We show via neutron star cooling simulations that the superconducting region expands faster than flux is expected to be expelled because cooling timescales are much shorter than timescales of magnetic field diffusion. Thus magnetic fields remain in the bulk of the neutron star core for at least 10^6 − 10^7 yr. We estimate the size of flux free regions at 107 yr to be <~ 100 m for a magnetic field of 10^11 G and possibly smaller for stronger field strengths.
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e-pub ahead of print date: 1 September 2017
Published date: 1 September 2017
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Local EPrints ID: 425503
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/425503
ISSN: 1743-9213
PURE UUID: f52d0498-d177-40de-be9f-3f400c3db9ce
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Date deposited: 22 Oct 2018 16:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:02
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Author:
Vanessa Graber
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