Related papers: Dense astrophysical plasmas
We briefly examine the properties of dense plasmas characteristic of the interior of giant planets and the atmospheres of neutron stars. Special attention is devoted to the equation of state of hydrogen and helium at high density and to the…
White dwarfs and neutron stars are stellar objects with masses comparable to that of our sun. However, as the endpoint stages of stellar evolution, these objects do not sustain any thermonuclear burning and therefore can no longer support…
We study the equation of state, polarization and radiation properties for nonideal, strongly magnetized plasmas which compose outer envelopes of magnetic neutron stars. Detailed calculations are performed for partially ionized hydrogen…
Neutron stars are some of the densest manifestations of massive objects in the universe. They are ideal astrophysical laboratories for testing theories of dense matter physics and provide connections among nuclear physics, particle physics…
A forefront area of research concerns the exploration of the properties of hadronic matter under extreme conditions of temperature and density, and the determination of the equation of state--the relation between pressure, temperature and…
The values of electrical conductivity of plasma of stars with a magnetic field or moving in the magnetic field of the other component in a binary system could be of significant interest, since they are useful for the study of thermal…
Polarizability tensor of a strongly magnetized plasma and the polarization vectors and opacities of normal electromagnetic waves are studied for the conditions typical of neutron star atmospheres, taking account of partial ionization…
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…
In this lecture, we give a first introduction to neutron stars, based on fundamental physical principles. After outlining their amazing macroscopic properties, as obtained from observations, we infer the extreme conditions of matter in…
Astrophysical plasmas can have parameters vastly different from the more studied laboratory and space plasmas. In particular, the magnetic fields can be the dominant component of the plasma, with energy-density exceeding the particle…
We study hydrogen plasmas at magnetic fields B ~ 10^{12}-10^{13} Gauss, densities ~ 10^{-3}-10^3 g/cc and temperatures T ~ 10^{5.5}-10^{6.5} K, typical of photospheres of middle-aged cooling neutron stars. We construct an analytical free…
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…
$\textit{Herschel}$ observations of far infrared N$^+$ emission lines have demonstrated that dense plasma, with $n_e\sim30\,{\rm cm^{-3}}$, is ubiquitous in the inner Galactic plane. By combining the information from $\textit{Herschel}$…
We construct hydrogen atmosphere models for strongly magnetized neutron stars in thermodynamic equilibrium, taking into account partial ionization. The presence of bound states affects the equation of state, absorption coefficients, and…
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.…
In this lecture, we give a first introduction to neutron stars, based on fundamental physical principles. After outlining their outstanding macroscopic properties, as obtained from observations, we infer the extreme conditions of matter in…
Reliable modeling of the atmospheres of cool white dwarfs is crucial for understanding the atmospheric evolution of these stars and for accurate white dwarfs cosmochronology. Over the last decade {\it ab initio} modeling entered many…
A number of properties of dense matter can be understood semiquantitatively in terms of simple physical arguments. We begin with the outer parts of neutron stars, and consider the density at which pressure ionization occurs, the density at…
Our Universe is full of regions where extreme physical conditions are realized. Among the most intriguing cases are the so-called magnetars: neutron stars with very dense cores and super-strong magnetic fields. In this paper I review the…
Accurately measuring the masses of white dwarf stars is crucial in many astrophysical contexts (e.g., asteroseismology and cosmochronology). These masses are most commonly determined by fitting a model atmosphere to an observed spectrum;…