Does elasticity stabilize a magnetic neutron star?
Does elasticity stabilize a magnetic neutron star?
The configuration of the magnetic field in the interior of a neutron star is mostly unknown from observations. Theoretical models of the interior magnetic field geometry tend to be oversimplified to avoid mathematical complexity and tend to be based on axisymmetric barotropic fluid systems. These static magnetic equilibrium configurations have been shown to be unstable on a short time-scale against an infinitesimal perturbation. Given this instability, it is relevant to consider how more realistic neutron star physics affects the outcome. In particular, it makes sense to ask if elasticity, which provides an additional restoring force on the perturbations, may stabilize the system. It is well known that the matter in the neutron star crust forms an ionic crystal. The interactions between the crystallized nuclei can generate shear stress against any applied strain. To incorporate the effect of the crust on the dynamical evolution of the perturbed equilibrium structure, we study the effect of elasticity on the instability of an axisymmetric magnetic star. In particular, we determine the critical shear modulus required to prevent magnetic instability and consider the corresponding astrophysical consequences.
astro-ph.HE, astro-ph.SR
2636-2647
Bera, Prasanta
80323081-87cb-4f60-962c-a8c9cd3a3f3b
Jones, D. I.
b8f3e32c-d537-445a-a1e4-7436f472e160
Andersson, Nils
2dd6d1ee-cefd-478a-b1ac-e6feedafe304
1 December 2020
Bera, Prasanta
80323081-87cb-4f60-962c-a8c9cd3a3f3b
Jones, D. I.
b8f3e32c-d537-445a-a1e4-7436f472e160
Andersson, Nils
2dd6d1ee-cefd-478a-b1ac-e6feedafe304
Bera, Prasanta, Jones, D. I. and Andersson, Nils
(2020)
Does elasticity stabilize a magnetic neutron star?
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 499 (2), .
(doi:10.1093/mnras/staa3015).
Abstract
The configuration of the magnetic field in the interior of a neutron star is mostly unknown from observations. Theoretical models of the interior magnetic field geometry tend to be oversimplified to avoid mathematical complexity and tend to be based on axisymmetric barotropic fluid systems. These static magnetic equilibrium configurations have been shown to be unstable on a short time-scale against an infinitesimal perturbation. Given this instability, it is relevant to consider how more realistic neutron star physics affects the outcome. In particular, it makes sense to ask if elasticity, which provides an additional restoring force on the perturbations, may stabilize the system. It is well known that the matter in the neutron star crust forms an ionic crystal. The interactions between the crystallized nuclei can generate shear stress against any applied strain. To incorporate the effect of the crust on the dynamical evolution of the perturbed equilibrium structure, we study the effect of elasticity on the instability of an axisymmetric magnetic star. In particular, we determine the critical shear modulus required to prevent magnetic instability and consider the corresponding astrophysical consequences.
Text
staa3015
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 28 September 2020
e-pub ahead of print date: 2 October 2020
Published date: 1 December 2020
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
PB acknowledges the use of the IRIDIS High Performance Computing Facility, and associated support services at the University of Southampton, in the completion of this work. We acknowledge financial support from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC, UK) via grant no. ST/R00045X/1.We thank the anonymous referees for constructive comments.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Author(s).
Keywords:
astro-ph.HE, astro-ph.SR
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 444397
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/444397
ISSN: 1365-2966
PURE UUID: b5fc5c82-7dd4-4ba2-8976-19cc1ab16f06
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Date deposited: 16 Oct 2020 16:30
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 02:48
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Author:
Prasanta Bera
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