Reconnection of magnetic fields in neutron stars driven by the electron mass term in the triangle anomaly

TL;DR

This paper investigates how quantum effects, specifically the electron mass term in the triangle anomaly, influence magnetic field reconnection in neutron stars, potentially explaining magnetar bursts.

Contribution

It introduces a quantum correction to magnetic helicity evolution due to the Adler-Bell-Jackiw anomaly in dense matter, relevant for neutron star magnetic phenomena.

Findings

Quantum contributions can dominate classical helicity evolution in neutron star cores.

The results provide a new perspective on magnetar burst mechanisms.

Derived equations for magnetic helicity evolution with quantum corrections.

Abstract

The Adler-Bell-Jackiw anomaly for massive particles is studied in an external magnetic field. The contributions of the mean spin and the pseudoscalar are accounted for in the quasiclassical approximation. The equation for the evolution of the magnetic helicity with the new quantum corrections is derived. We show that the quantum contribution to the helicity evolution can overcome the classical one in the dense degenerate matter which can be present in the core of a neutron star. The application of the obtained results for the interpretation of magnetar bursts are discussed.