The electrodynamics of the core and the crust components in neutron stars

We study the possibility of having a strong electric field (E) in Neutron Stars. We consider a system composed by a core of degenerate relativistic electrons, protons and neutrons, surrounded by an oppositely charged leptonic component and show that at the core surface it is possible to have values of E of the order of the critical value for electron-positron pair creation, depending on the mass density of the system. We also describe Neutron Stars in general relativity, considering a system. composed by the core and an additional component: a crust of white dwarf- like material. We study the characteristics of the crust, in particular we calculate its mass Mcrust. We propose that, when the mass density of the star increases, the core undergoes the process of gravitational collapse to a black hole, leaving the crust as a remnant; we compare Mcrust with the mass of the baryonic remnant considered in the fireshell model of GRBs and find that their values are compatible. © 2008 American Institute of Physics.