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W.C.G. Ho, R.D. Blandford (KIPAC/Stanford), L. Hernquist (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)
We study whether the effect of a vertical heat flux through the outer layers of a neutron star can amplify, or to what degree it can alter, a horizontal magnetic field. Previous work suggested that a thermal flux may yield a complicated, evolving pattern of magnetic flux on the surface of the star. We extend this previous linear, perturbative analysis with a more accurate, non-linear calculation. It is possible that this thermomagnetic effect could be related to the observed properties of neutron stars, in particular, the generation of magnetar field strengths. This work is supported by NASA under contract NAS 5-26555.
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 36 #3
© 2004. The American Astronomical Soceity.