Title: Axisymmetric equilibria of magnetic neutron stars 
 
Abstract:
The strongest magnetic fields in the universe are found in neutron stars and their surroundings. It is typically thought that shortly after birth their core fields effectively stabilize, evolving only over long timescales save for the occasional instability, so that the system as a whole is well-modelled as a (quasi-stationary sequence of) equilibria. For simplicity, axisymmetry and the absence of velocity gradients are often assumed also. But are these assumptions reasonable? By revisiting and extending some theorems first proven by Bekenstein and Oron about GRMHD equilibria, I will argue they may not be: realistic magnetic field structures require meridional circulation, and entropy gradients invite convective instabilities even in old stars in axisymmetry. I will describe these ideas in the broader context of neutron star astrophysics.
 

Zoom link:
https://huji.zoom.us/j/89486285379?pwd=5tzHE4bVAmnL16sznLbzoYiGatli5L.1
Meeting ID: 894 8628 5379
Passcode: 267874
 
Contact: Dima Ofengeim