Open AccessType II superconductivity and magnetic flux transport in neutron stars
Author(s) -
Jones P. B.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.09724.x
Subject(s) - physics , neutron star , induction equation , magnetic flux , superconductivity , condensed matter physics , proton , superfluidity , type ii superconductor , magnetic field , nuclear physics , astrophysics , magnetohydrodynamics , quantum mechanics
The transition to a type II proton superconductor which is believed to occur in a cooling neutron star is accompanied by changes in the equation of hydrostatic equilibrium and by the formation of proton vortices with quantized magnetic flux. Analysis of the electron Boltzmann equation for this system and of the proton supercurrent distribution formed at the transition leads to the derivation of a simple expression for the transport velocity of magnetic flux in the liquid interior of a neutron star. This shows that flux moves easily as a consequence of the interaction between neutron and proton superfluid vortices during intervals of spin‐down or spin‐up in binary systems. The differences between the present analysis and those of previous workers are reviewed and an error in the paper of Jones is corrected.