| On the Origin of Weak Magnetic Fields in Recycled Millisecond Pulsars |
| Yuri Levin, Columbia University |
| Event Type: Astro Seminar |
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| Time: 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM |
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| Location: 726 Broadway, 940, CCPP Seminar |
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| Abstract: Theoretical work robustly predicts that the outer core of a neutron star is a superconductor. We argue that the Meissner effect in the outer core strongly suppresses magnetic field burial inside an accreting neutron star. Consequently, millisecond pulsars likely do not contain buried fields; instead, their small magnetic dipoles imply an almost complete expulsion of the initial magnetic flux from their cores. We consider the slow magnetic field dissipation inside old neutron stars and argue that the field can be expelled if the protons are superconducting in most of the core. The remnant field could be trapped in a small central non-superconducting part of the core, which would then determine the strength and geometry of the millisecond pulsar field. |