# Topological currents in neutron stars

1. Aug 13, 2012

### ImaLooser

No luck getting an answer in the astophysics forum, let's try here.

An article.
http://arxiv.org/abs/0903.4450

If you have the bucks to read peer-reviewed journals, it is also at

http://iopscience.iop.org/1475-7516/2010/08/010;jsessionid=C8A4FEAF2E4F96B2A73E40BF235578C2.c1

So peer-reviewed and published it is. Unfortunately it is over my head. As far as I can tell for some reason asymmetrical atomic processes can in the exotic environment of a neutron star have macro effects. Here's the abstract.

The effects of anomalies in high density QCD are striking. We consider a direct application of one of these effects, namely topological currents, on the physics of neutron stars. All the elements required for topological currents are present in neutron stars: degenerate matter, large magnetic fields, and P-parity violating processes. These conditions lead to the creation of vector currents capable of carrying momentum and inducing magnetic fields. We estimate the size of these currents for many representative states of dense matter in the neutron star and argue that they could be responsible for the large proper motion of neutron stars (kicks), the toroidal magnetic field and finite magnetic helicity needed for stability of the poloidal field, and the resolution of the conflict between type-II superconductivity and precession. Though these observational effects appear unrelated, they likely originate from the same physics -- they are all P-odd phenomena that stem from a topological current generated by parity violation.

I don't understand. Evidently some P-parity violation force is expressed in some asymmetrical way, but that is as far as I can get. Any help?