AAS 205th Meeting, 9-13 January 2005
Session 102 Neutron Stars
Poster, Wednesday, January 12, 2005, 9:20am-6:30pm, Exhibit Hall

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[102.03] Thermoelectric Effects and Magnetic Field Evolution in Neutron Stars

W.C.G. Ho, R.D. Blandford (KIPAC/Stanford), L. Hernquist (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)

Neutron stars are thought to be born with a magnetic field that is frozen in during its initial gravitational collapse. Whether this initial field decays or not is uncertain. We investigate a method for magnetic field evolution in the crust, specifically, whether the effect of a heat flux through the outer layers of a neutron star can amplify, or to what degree it can alter, a seed magnetic field. Previous work suggested that a thermal flux may yield a complicated, evolving pattern of magnetic flux on the surface of the star. It is possible that this thermoelectric effect could be related to the observed properties of neutron stars, in particular, to the generation of magnetar field strengths, B>1014 G. We extend the previous linear, perturbative analysis with a more accurate, non-linear calculation. This work is supported by NASA under contract NAS 5-26555.

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© 2004. The American Astronomical Society.