Magnetic Field-Decay-Induced Electron Captures: a Strong Heat Source in Magnetar Crusts

Details Magnetic Field-Decay-Induced Electron Captures: a Strong Heat Source in Magnetar Crusts Magnetic Field-Decay-Induced Electron Captures: a Strong Heat Source in Magnetar Crusts

Feb 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010head...11.2307c&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, HEAD meeting #11, #23.07; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.694

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We propose a new heating mechanism in magnetar crusts. Magnetars' crustal magnetic fields are much stronger than their surface fields; therefore, magnetic pressure partially supports the crust against gravity. The crust loses magnetic pressure support as the field decays and must compensate by increasing the electron degeneracy pressure; the accompanying increase in the electron Fermi energy induces nonequilibrium, exothermic electron captures. The total heat released via field-decay electron captures is comparable to the total magnetic energy in the crust. Thus, field-decay electron captures are an important, if not the primary, mechanism powering magnetars' soft X-ray emission.

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