Evolution of Neutron Star Magnetic Fields
Neutron stars are natural physical laboratories allowing us to study a plethora of phenomena in extreme conditions. In particular, these compact objects can have very strong magnetic fields with non-trivial origin and evolution. In many respects, its magnetic field determines the appearance of a neu...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Universe |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1997/7/9/351 |
| _version_ | 1797517081349980160 |
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| author | Andrei P. Igoshev Sergei B. Popov Rainer Hollerbach |
| author_facet | Andrei P. Igoshev Sergei B. Popov Rainer Hollerbach |
| author_sort | Andrei P. Igoshev |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Neutron stars are natural physical laboratories allowing us to study a plethora of phenomena in extreme conditions. In particular, these compact objects can have very strong magnetic fields with non-trivial origin and evolution. In many respects, its magnetic field determines the appearance of a neutron star. Thus, understanding the field properties is important for the interpretation of observational data. Complementing this, observations of diverse kinds of neutron stars enable us to probe parameters of electro-dynamical processes at scales unavailable in terrestrial laboratories. In this review, we first briefly describe theoretical models of the formation and evolution of the magnetic field of neutron stars, paying special attention to field decay processes. Then, we present important observational results related to the field properties of different types of compact objects: magnetars, cooling neutron stars, radio pulsars, and sources in binary systems. After that, we discuss which observations can shed light on the obscure characteristics of neutron star magnetic fields and their behaviour. We end the review with a subjective list of open problems. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:09:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9c3cb00244f34f18ae6558be973d4fee |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2218-1997 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T07:09:49Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Universe |
| spelling | doaj.art-9c3cb00244f34f18ae6558be973d4fee2023-11-22T15:33:17ZengMDPI AGUniverse2218-19972021-09-017935110.3390/universe7090351Evolution of Neutron Star Magnetic FieldsAndrei P. Igoshev0Sergei B. Popov1Rainer Hollerbach2Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UKSternberg Astronomical Institute, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, RussiaDepartment of Applied Mathematics, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UKNeutron stars are natural physical laboratories allowing us to study a plethora of phenomena in extreme conditions. In particular, these compact objects can have very strong magnetic fields with non-trivial origin and evolution. In many respects, its magnetic field determines the appearance of a neutron star. Thus, understanding the field properties is important for the interpretation of observational data. Complementing this, observations of diverse kinds of neutron stars enable us to probe parameters of electro-dynamical processes at scales unavailable in terrestrial laboratories. In this review, we first briefly describe theoretical models of the formation and evolution of the magnetic field of neutron stars, paying special attention to field decay processes. Then, we present important observational results related to the field properties of different types of compact objects: magnetars, cooling neutron stars, radio pulsars, and sources in binary systems. After that, we discuss which observations can shed light on the obscure characteristics of neutron star magnetic fields and their behaviour. We end the review with a subjective list of open problems.https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1997/7/9/351neutron starsmagnetic fieldradio pulsarsmagnetars |
| spellingShingle | Andrei P. Igoshev Sergei B. Popov Rainer Hollerbach Evolution of Neutron Star Magnetic Fields Universe neutron stars magnetic field radio pulsars magnetars |
| title | Evolution of Neutron Star Magnetic Fields |
| title_full | Evolution of Neutron Star Magnetic Fields |
| title_fullStr | Evolution of Neutron Star Magnetic Fields |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evolution of Neutron Star Magnetic Fields |
| title_short | Evolution of Neutron Star Magnetic Fields |
| title_sort | evolution of neutron star magnetic fields |
| topic | neutron stars magnetic field radio pulsars magnetars |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1997/7/9/351 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT andreipigoshev evolutionofneutronstarmagneticfields AT sergeibpopov evolutionofneutronstarmagneticfields AT rainerhollerbach evolutionofneutronstarmagneticfields |