Opacities of magnetized neutron stars

DOI

There is observational evidence that central compact objects (CCOs) in supernova remnants have moderately strong magnetic fields B~10^11^G. Meanwhile, available models of partially ionized hydrogen atmospheres of neutron stars with strong magnetic fields are restricted to B>~10^12^G. Extension of the applicability range of the photosphere models to lower field strengths is complicated by a stronger asymmetry of decentered atomic states and by the importance of excited bound states. We extend the equation of state and radiative opacities, as presented in previous papers for 10^12^G<~B<~10^15^G, to weaker fields. We constructed analytical fitting formulae for binding energies, sizes, and oscillator strengths for different bound states of a hydrogen atom moving in moderately strong magnetic fields and calculate an extensive database for photoionization cross sections of such atoms. Using these atomic data, in the framework of the chemical picture of plasmas we solved the ionization equilibrium problem and calculated thermodynamic functions and basic opacities of partially ionized hydrogen plasmas at these field strengths. Then plasma polarizabilities were calculated from the Kramers-Kronig relation, and the radiative transfer equation for the coupled normal polarization modes was solved to obtain model spectra. An equation of state and radiative opacities for a partially ionized hydrogen plasma are obtained at magnetic fields B, temperatures T, and densities {rho} typical for atmospheres of CCOs and other isolated neutron stars with moderately strong magnetic fields. The first- and second-order thermodynamic functions, monochromatic radiative opacities, and Rosseland mean opacities are calculated and tabulated, considering partial ionization, for 3x10^10G<~B<~10^12^G, 10^5^K<~T<~10^7^K, and a wide range of densities. Atmosphere models and spectra are calculated to verify the applicability of the results and to determine the range of magnetic fields and effective temperatures where the incomplete ionization of the hydrogen plasma is important.

Identifier
DOI http://doi.org/10.26093/cds/vizier.35720069
Source https://dc.g-vo.org/rr/q/lp/custom/CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/572/A69
Related Identifier https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/cat/J/A+A/572/A69
Related Identifier http://vizier.cds.unistra.fr/viz-bin/VizieR-2?-source=J/A+A/572/A69
Metadata Access http://dc.g-vo.org/rr/q/pmh/pubreg.xml?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=oai_b2find&identifier=ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/572/A69
Provenance
Creator Potekhin A.Y.; Chabrier G.; Ho W.C.G.
Publisher CDS
Publication Year 2014
Rights https://cds.unistra.fr/vizier-org/licences_vizier.html
OpenAccess true
Contact CDS support team <cds-question(at)unistra.fr>
Representation
Resource Type Dataset; AstroObjects
Discipline Astrophysical Processes; Astrophysics and Astronomy; Natural Sciences; Observational Astronomy; Physics; Stellar Astronomy