A quantum-field theoretical description of superfluid vortex arrays in neutron stars

M.Sc.The content of this dissertation is directed at a clearer understanding of pulsar behaviour. Pulsars are neutron stars in relatively early stages of their evolution. The intervals between observed arrival times of pulsar beams have been observed to suddenly decrease implying an increase in the star’s angular velocity Ω. This phenomenon is called a glitch. The first observed glitch occurred in the Vela pulsar (PSR 0833 -45) in 1969. The largest observed glitch also occurred in the Vela pulsar and exhibited a relative spin-up, Ω∕Ω~10−6 [1]. These relative pulsar spin-ups generally fall within the range 10−9 to 10−6 [2]. Pulsar glitches occur as a result of the processes in the interior of a neutron star [3]. Thus, a rigorous study of neutron star interiors is justified. Neutron star interiors are composed of hadronic matter: mostly neutrons, with a few per cent of protons (and, of course, non-hadronic electrons to conserve electric charge). The density of a neutron star interior increases with increasing depth as illustrated in 1.1