Why do neutron stars have magnetic fields

In summary, the article by W Tucker and K Tucker at NASA discusses the presence of magnetic fields in neutron stars, despite the fact that they do not have net charges. This is because the individual quarks that make up the neutrons have electric charges that cancel out, but still create a magnetic moment. This explains why air currents, which are made up of atoms with quarks, do not cause magnetism. However, in neutron stars, the alignment of these magnetic fields raises questions about their origin. The topic in the link provided further delves into this subject.
  • #1
Rodney
1
0
An article by W Tucker and K Tucker at NASA says that neutron stars have magnetic fields. If a magnetic field is created by moving charges, and neutron stars have not net charges to move, how are the fields created?
 
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  • #2
Actually the neutron itself has a magnetic moment, in spite of being an uncharged particle. The answer is that the quarks that make it up have electric charges. These charges cancel out over all to make the total charge zero, but the neutron still has these individual charges moving around inside it.
 
  • #3
So, then wouldn't air currents for example, cause magnitism? Since the molecules are made up of atoms, which have quarks.
 
  • #4
ArmoSkater87 said:
So, then wouldn't air currents for example, cause magnitism? Since the molecules are made up of atoms, which have quarks.
Since the feidls of the netrons in the molecules are not aligned, they end up canceling each other out. Which raises a question - why are those fields aligned in a neutron star? Or is it that they are not, but the magnetic field comes from some other feature of a neutron star?
 

1. How do neutron stars form magnetic fields?

Neutron stars are formed from the remnants of supernova explosions, which compress and collapse the core of a massive star. This compression creates extreme pressure and temperature, causing the particles inside the star to align and generate a magnetic field.

2. Why are neutron star magnetic fields so strong?

Neutron stars have incredibly strong magnetic fields because of their small size and high density. As the core of a star collapses, it becomes smaller and denser, causing the magnetic field to become more concentrated and intense.

3. How do we measure the strength of a neutron star's magnetic field?

Scientists use a variety of methods to measure the strength of a neutron star's magnetic field, including analyzing the star's X-ray emissions, studying the rotation of the star, and observing the effects of the magnetic field on its surroundings.

4. Do all neutron stars have magnetic fields?

While the vast majority of neutron stars have magnetic fields, there are a few rare exceptions known as "magnetars" that have extremely powerful magnetic fields. However, the exact reason for this difference is still not fully understood by scientists.

5. How do neutron star magnetic fields affect their surroundings?

The strong magnetic fields of neutron stars can have a significant impact on their surroundings. They can create powerful jets of particles, cause intense bursts of radiation, and even affect the motion of nearby objects, such as other stars or gas clouds.

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