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Onset of superconductivity and retention of magnetic fields in cooling neutron stars

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 June 2018

Wynn C. G. Ho
Affiliation:
Mathematical Sciences and STAG Research Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom email: [email protected] Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom
Nils Andersson
Affiliation:
Mathematical Sciences and STAG Research Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom email: [email protected]
Vanessa Graber
Affiliation:
Department of Physics and McGill Space Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 2T8, Canada
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Abstract

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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 106 − 107yr. We estimate the size of flux free regions at 107yr to be ≲ 100m for a magnetic field of 1011G and possibly smaller for stronger field strengths.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2018 

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