Partially ionized atmospheres of neutron stars with strong magnetic fields

A. Y. Potekhin; D. Lai; G. Chabrier; W. C. G. Ho

doi:10.1016/j.asr.2004.12.010

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arXiv · astro-ph/0501467

Partially ionized atmospheres of neutron stars with strong magnetic fields

A. Y. Potekhin·D. Lai·G. Chabrier·W. C. G. Ho

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Abstract

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 polarizability tensor of a strongly magnetized plasma. Therefore the partial ionization influences the polarization vectors and opacities of normal electromagnetic waves, and thus the spectra of outgoing radiation. Here we review a model suitable for the most typical neutron-star atmospheres and focus on the problems that remain to be solved for its extension to other atmospheric parameters.

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A. Y. Potekhin, D. Lai, G. Chabrier, W. C. G. Ho. 2005-01-21. Partially ionized atmospheres of neutron stars with strong magnetic fields. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2004.12.010

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