MAGNETIC FIELD-DECAY-INDUCED ELECTRON CAPTURES: A STRONG HEAT SOURCE IN MAGNETAR CRUSTS

Journal Article · Sun Jan 10 00:00:00 EST 2010 · Astrophysical Journal Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/708/2/L80; COUNTRY OF INPUT: INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (IAEA)· OSTI ID:21301413

Cooper, Randall L ^[1]

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1. Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States)

We propose a new heating mechanism in magnetar crusts. Magnetars' crustal magnetic fields are much stronger than their surface fields; therefore, magnetic pressure partially supports the crust against gravity. The crust loses magnetic pressure support as the field decays and must compensate by increasing the electron degeneracy pressure; the accompanying increase in the electron Fermi energy induces nonequilibrium, exothermic electron captures. The total heat released via field-decay electron captures is comparable to the total magnetic energy in the crust. Thus, field-decay electron captures are an important, if not the primary, mechanism powering magnetars' soft X-ray emission.

• OSTI ID: 21301413
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 708, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/708/2/L80; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
ABUNDANCE
ELECTRON CAPTURE
ELECTRONS
GRAVITATION
HEAT SOURCES
MAGNETIC FIELDS
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEOSYNTHESIS
SOFT X RADIATION
STARS