Effect of Strong Magnetic Fields on the Equilibrium of a Degenerate Gas of Nucleons and Electrons

TL;DR

This paper derives equations describing the equilibrium state of a relativistic degenerate gas of nucleons and electrons under strong magnetic fields, relevant to neutron star cores, revealing new insights into particle ratios and Fermi momenta.

Contribution

It provides a novel theoretical framework for understanding the effects of intense magnetic fields on the composition and properties of dense nuclear matter.

Findings

Proton-to-neutron ratio varies significantly with magnetic field strength.

Electron Fermi momentum depends on magnetic field and neutron density.

Equilibrium conditions are altered by strong magnetic fields in neutron star environments.

Abstract

We obtain the equations that define the equilibrium of a homogeneous relativistic gas of neutrons, protons and electrons in a constant magnetic field as applied to the conditions that probably occur near the center of neutron stars. We compute the relative densities of the particles at equilibrium and the Fermi momentum of electrons in the strong magnetic field as function of the density of neutrons and the magnetic field induction. Novel features are revealed as to the ratio of the number of protons to the number of neutrons at equilibrium in the presence of large magnetic fields.