Atmospheres and radiating surfaces of neutron stars

A. Y. Potekhin

Published 2014-03-01, updated 2014-06-24Version 3

The beginning of the 21st century was marked by a breakthrough in the studies of thermal radiation of neutron stars. Observations with modern space telescopes have provided a wealth of valuable information. Being correctly interpreted, this information can elucidate physics of superdense matter in the interiors of these stars. The theory of formation of thermal spectra of neutron stars is based on the physics of plasmas and radiative processes in stellar photospheres. It provides the framework for interpretation of observational data and for extracting neutron-star parameters from these data. This paper presents a review of the current state of the theory of surface layers of neutron stars and radiative processes in these layers, with the main focus on the neutron stars that possess strong magnetic fields. In addition to the conventional deep (semi-infinite) atmospheres, radiative condensed surfaces of neutron stars and "thin" (finite) atmospheres are also considered.