Neutron Stars

By: Irina Ahmad

 Formation
• Formed from massive explosions called supernovas
• A supernova occurs due to the gravitational collapse of a
massive star
• The core of the existing star collapses because of the
inward gravitational pull
• The protons and electrons in the core combine to form a
star made purely of neutrons
• This star is called a neutron star
 Properties: Density
• Most neutron stars are only 20
km in diameter. That’s about
12 miles.
• These neutron stars are
typically 1.4 times the mass of
our sun.
• Scientists estimate that 1
teaspoon of a neutron star
would weigh well over 5 million
tons on earth!
 Properties: Gravity
• The huge amount of density
makes the surface gravity of a
neutron star much stronger
than gravity on earth.
• The gravitational field is 1011
times higher than earth.
• Any matter that falls near a
neutron star is accelerated to
100 million km per hour.
Properties: Warping of Light
• Because of the extreme
gravitational fields,
gravitational lensing
occurs.
• This means that the
gravitational fields bend
the light leaving a neutron
star.
• Theoretically, if you looked
at a neutron star, you
would see more than one
half of it at a time.
 Properties: Rotations
• Neutron stars spin extremely fast
• Neutron stars go faster when their first born.
• Sometimes, a neutron star can go as fast as
several hundred revolutions per second.
• Neutron stars spin this fast due to the
conservation of angular momentum.
 Pulsars
• Pulsars are neutron stars whose magnetic
poles are pointed at Earth.
• Since the magnetic and geographic poles
are misaligned, the jets of light sweep
around the magnetic axis.
• When view from earth, pulsars appear to
“pulse”. They pulse when the jets of light
sweep over earth.
 Structure: Core
• The core of a neutron star is composed of
an entirely different matter than the crust.
• Scientists hypothesize that the core is a
superconducting fluid of protons and
electrons.
Diagram of Pulsar
 Structure: Atmosphere and Crust
• The gaseous atmosphere around a neutron star is only 1
meter thick.
• The crust of a neutron star is a few hundred meters
thick.
• Recent simulations suggest the crust is 10 billion times
as strong as steel.
• The crust of a neutron star is extremely hot.
– It is about 1 million degrees Kelvin.
 Discovery: Neutron Stars
• Walter Baade and Fritz Zwicky proposed the
idea of neutron stars in 1933.

Fritz Zwicky Walter Baade

 Discovery: Pulsars

• Graduate student
Jocelyn Bell first
discovered the pulsar
in late 1967.
Thanks for watching!