Related papers: Hydrogen Phases on the Surface of a Strongly Magne…
The properties of matter are significantly modified by strong magnetic fields, $B>>2.35\times 10^9$ Gauss ($1 G =10^{-4} Tesla$), as are typically found on the surfaces of neutron stars. In such strong magnetic fields, the Coulomb force on…
Recent observations show that the thermal X-ray spectra of many isolated neutron stars are featureless and in some cases (e.g., RX J1856.5-3754) well fit by a blackbody. Such a perfect blackbody spectrum is puzzling since radiative…
Formed in the aftermath of gravitational core-collapse supernova explosions, neutron stars are unique cosmic laboratories for probing the properties of matter under extreme conditions that cannot be reproduced in terrestrial laboratories.…
A neutron star is one of the possible end states of a massive star. It is compressed by gravity and stabilized by the nuclear degeneracy pressure. Despite its name, the composition of these objects is not exactly known. However, from the…
We construct partially ionized hydrogen atmosphere models for magnetized neutron stars in radiative equilibrium with surface fields B=10^12-5 \times 10^14 G and effective temperatures T_eff \sim a few \times 10^5-10^6 K. These models are…
We construct models for strongly-magnetized neutron star atmospheres composed of mid-Z elements (carbon, oxygen and neon) with magnetic fields B=10^{12}-10^{13} G and effective temperatures Teff=(1-5)*10^6 K; this is done by first…
Strong (B >> 10^9 G) and superstrong (B > 10^{14} G) magnetic fields profoundly affect many thermodynamic and kinetic characteristics of dense plasmas in neutron star envelopes. In particular, they produce strongly anisotropic thermal…
Neutron stars are associated with diverse physical phenomena that take place in conditions characterized by ultrahigh densities as well as intense gravitational, magnetic, and radiation fields. Understanding the properties and interactions…
We construct hydrogen atmosphere models for magnetized neutron stars in radiative equilibrium with surface fields B=10^12-5x10^14 G and effective temperatures T_eff a few x 10^5-10^6 K by solving the full radiative transfer equations for…
Neutron stars contain matter in one of the densest forms found in the Universe. This feature, together with the unprecedented progress in observational astrophysics, makes such stars superb astrophysical laboratories for a broad range of…
We construct partially ionized hydrogen atmosphere models for magnetized neutron stars in radiative equilibrium with fixed surface fields between B=10^12 and 2x10^13 G and effective temperatures logT_eff=5.5-6.8, as well as with surface B…
Confronting theoretical models with observations of thermal radiation emitted by neutron stars is one of the most important ways to understand the properties of both, superdense matter in the interiors of the neutron stars and dense…
Ever since the discovery of neutron stars it has been realized that they serve as probes of a physical regime that cannot be accessed in laboratories: strongly degenerate matter at several times nuclear saturation density. Existing nuclear…
Calculations of weak-interaction transition rates and of nuclear formation enthalpies show that in isolated neutron stars, the solid phase, above the neutron-drip threshold, is amorphous and heterogeneous in nuclear charge. The neutrino…
The strong magnetic fields (B ~ 10^{12} - 10^{13} G) characteristic of neutron stars make all the properties of an atom strongly dependent on the transverse component K_\perp of its generalized momentum. In particular, the photoionization…
The cohesive energy of condensed matter in strong magnetic fields is a fundamental quantity characterizing magnetized neutron star surfaces. The cohesive energy refers to the energy required to pull an atom out of the bulk condensed matter…
We show that an analysis of multiwavelength observations of isolated neutron stars based on neutron star atmosphere models can be used not only to evaluate the neutron star effective temperature, but also to determine chemical composition…
We construct radiative equilibrium models for strongly magnetized (B > 10^13 G) neutron-star atmospheres taking into account magnetic free-free absorption and scattering processes computed for two polarization modes. We include the effects…
Outer envelopes of neutron stars consist mostly of fully ionized, strongly coupled Coulomb plasmas characterized by typical densities about 10^4-10^{11} g/cc and temperatures about 10^4-10^9 K. Many neutron stars possess magnetic fields…
Recently launched x-ray telescopes have discovered several candidate isolated neutron stars. The thermal radiation from these objects may potentially constrain our understanding of nuclear physics in a realm inaccessible to terrestrial…