PhD Studentship: The stability of superconducting neutron stars

Neutron stars host the strongest known magnetic fields in the Universe, which appear to remain essentially stable and unchanged over decades. Simple models of neutron-star magnetic fields, however, all appear to suffer instabilities that rearrange and dissipate the field over mere seconds - and so these models are not representative of the real star.

A key stabilising ingredient is likely to be the fact that the star's core forms a superconductor - the only known setting in astrophysics for this phenomenon. More specifically, the neutron-star core contains a superconducting proton fluid that coexists with superfluid neutrons, and a (normal) electron fluid, and potentially other particle species too. The theory of superconductivity is well developed, but for the context encountered in labs on Earth: superconducting electrons in solid materials. This needs to be adapted carefully to be applicable to neutron stars.

This project entails studying the stability of magnetic fields in superconducting neutron stars. Initially, suitable steady-state background configurations will need to be created by solving the equilibrium equations for the model, followed by a perturbative analysis of the system to look for unstable modes. This will be done through two different approaches: one based on adapting the equations of magnetohydrodynamics, and another based on the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equations for a superconductor. Through this we will answer the question: does superconductivity stabilise neutron-star magnetic fields, or is a different mechanism required? With a reliable model for the magnetic field, we will then be able to calculate the expected gravitational-wave emission from magnetised neutron stars, and so determine whether this signal will be detectable in the near future.

Entry requirements

The standard minimum entry requirement is 2:1 in Mathematics or Physics.

Start date

1 October 2027

Mode of study

Full-time

Additional Funding Information

This PhD project is in a competition for a Faculty of Science funded studentship. Funding is available to UK applicants and comprises ‘home’ tuition fees and an annual stipend for 3 years. The current UEA / institutional PhD stipend rate is £21,805 and will be subject to any agreed inflationary uplift for 2027/28.