Model X‐Ray Spectra of Magnetic Neutron Stars with Hydrogen Atmospheres

Abstract

We construct partially ionized hydrogen atmosphere models for magnetized neutron stars in radiative equilibrium with fixed surface fields between B ¼ 10 12 and 2 ; 10 13 G and effective temperatures log T eA ¼ 5:5Y6:8, as well as with surface B and T eff distributions around these values. The models are based on the latest equation of state and opacity results for magnetized partially ionized hydrogen plasmas. The atmospheres directly determine the characteristics of thermal emission from the surface of neutron stars. We also incorporate these model spectra into XSPEC, under the model name NSMAX, thus allowing them to be used by the community to fit X-ray observations of neutron stars.