Letter to the Editor

Neutron star oceans: Instability, mixing, and heat transport

Departament de Fisica Aplicada, Universitat d'Alacant, Ap. Correus 99, 03080 Alacant, Spain A.F.Ioffe Institute of Physics and Technology and Isaak Newton Institute of Chili, Branch in St. Petersburg, 194021 St. Petersburg, Russia

Corresponding author: Vadim.Urpin@uv.es

Received: 8 March 2004
Accepted: 10 May 2004

Abstract

Stability of the ocean of magnetic neutron stars is considered. We argued that the ocean is unstable if the temperature varies along the surface. The instability grows on a time scale ~ s depending on the lengthscale of perturbations and generates a weak turbulence. Turbulence can be responsible for mixing between the surface and deep ocean layers and can enhance heat transport in the surface region.