Quantum Magnetic Collapse

TL;DR

This paper investigates the effects of intense magnetic fields on degenerate electron and W-boson gases, revealing conditions leading to transverse collapse and magnetic instability at critical field strengths.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of magnetic collapse phenomena in quantum gases, highlighting the instability thresholds for electrons and W-bosons in strong magnetic fields.

Findings

Transverse pressure vanishes, causing collapse in electron gases.

Magnetization diverges at critical W-boson field strength.

Maximum sustainable magnetic field is limited to about two-thirds of the critical value.

Abstract

We study the thermodynamics of degenerate electron and charged vector boson gases in very intense magnetic fields. In degenerate conditions of the electron gas, the pressure transverse to the magnetic field $B$ may vanish, leading to a transverse collapse. For W-bosons an instability arises because the magnetization diverges at the critical field B_c = M_W^2/e. If the magnetic field is self-consistently maintained, the maximum value it can take is of the order of $2B_c/3$, but in any case the system becomes unstable and collapses.