Open AccessThe effects of strong quantizing magnetic fields on the cold emission of electrons from ultramagnetized compact stellar objects
Author(s) -
Ghosh Arpita,
Chakrabarty Somenath
Publication year - 2012
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.1365-2966.2012.21505.x
Subject(s) - physics , electron , magnetar , magnetic field , neutron star , field (mathematics) , astrophysics , landau quantization , quantum electrodynamics , quantum mechanics , mathematics , pure mathematics
Formalisms for both non‐relativistic and relativistic versions of field emission of electrons in the presence of a strong quantizing magnetic field, relevant for strongly magnetized neutron stars or magnetars, are developed. In the non‐relativistic scenario, where electrons obey the Schrödinger equation, we have noticed that when Landau levels are populated for electrons in the presence of a strong quantizing magnetic field the transmission probability exactly vanishes unless the electrons are spin‐polarized in the opposite direction to the external magnetic field. On the other hand, cold electron emission under the influence of a strong electrostatic field at the poles is totally forbidden from the surfaces of those compact objects for which the surface magnetic field strength is ≫10 15 G (in the eventuality that they may exist). Whereas in the relativistic case electrons obey the Dirac equation, the presence of a strong quantizing magnetic field completely forbids the emission of electrons from the surfaces of compact objects if B > 10 13 G.