Transport properties of degenerate electrons in neutron star envelopes and white dwarf cores
Abstract
New calculations of the thermal and electrical electron conductivities are performed for a broad range of physical parameters typical for envelopes of neutron stars and cores of white dwarfs. We consider stellar matter composed of astrophysically important chemical elements from H to Fe in the density range from 102-104 g/ccm up to 107-1010 g/ccm, where atoms are fully ionized and electrons are strongly degenerate. We have used modified ion structure factors suggested in physics/9811052. In the ion liquid, these modifications take into account, in an approximate way, instantaneous electron-band structures that reduce the electron-ion scattering rate. In crystallized matter, the new structure factors include multi-phonon processes important at temperatures not very much lower than the melting temperature Tm. The transport coefficients obtained differ significantly from those derived earlier in the important temperature range Tm/5 < T < 5 Tm. The results of our numerical calculations are fitted by analytical expressions convenient for astrophysical applications.
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