Abstract
We present the first fully self-consistent three dimensional model of a neutron star’s magnetic field, generated by electric currents in the star’s crust via the Hall effect. We find that the global-scale field converges to a dipolar Hall-attractor state, as seen in recent axisymmetric models, but that small-scale features in the magnetic field survive even on much longer time scales. These small-scale features propagate toward the dipole equator, where the crustal electric currents organize themselves into a strong equatorial jet. By calculating the distribution of magnetic stresses in the crust, we predict that neutron stars with fields stronger than can still be subject to starquakes more than after their formation.
- Received 30 December 2014
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.191101
© 2015 American Physical Society
Synopsis
Quakes in Neutron Stars
Published 12 May 2015
Simulations of the magnetic field of a neutron star show that shear stresses induced by the field are strong enough to fracture the star’s crust.
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