Magnetic field evolution of accreting neutron stars - II

Abstract

We investigate the evolution of the magnetic fields of isolated pulsars and neutron stars in different kinds of binary systems, assuming the field to be originally confined to the crust. Our results for the field evolution in isolated neutron stars help us to constrain the physical parameters of the crust. By modelling the full evolution of a neutron star in a binary system through several stages of interaction, we can compare the resulting final field strength with that observed in neutron stars in various types of binary systems. One of the interesting aspects of our results is a positive correlation between the rate of accretion and the final field strength, for which some observational indication already exists. Our results also match the overall picture of the field evolution in neutron stars derived from observations.