Vol. 11 (2008) > lrr-2008-10

Article Abstract

The physics of neutron star crusts is vast, involving many different research fields, from nuclear and condensed matter physics to general relativity. This review summarizes the progress, which has been achieved over the last few years, in modeling neutron star crusts, both at the microscopic and macroscopic levels. The confrontation of these theoretical models with observations is also briefly discussed.

Keywords: astrophysics, neutron stars, pulsars, magnetars, soft gamma repeaters, supernova, elasticity, neutron star cooling, low-mass X-ray binaries, oscillations, structure, transport properties, conductivity, viscosity, neutrino, equation of state, neutron star crust, superfluidity, entrainment, two-fluid model, accretion, X-ray astronomy, gravitational waves, pulsar glitches, accreting neutron stars, deep crustal heating