Neutron star

A neutron star is a very small, super-dense star which is composed mostly of tightly-packed neutrons, supported by the exclusion principle repulsion. This remnant of a star after it has exploded as a supernova has a thin atmosphere of superhot hydrogen plasma and a diameter of about 5 - 16 kilometers, with a density of roughly 10¹⁵ gm/cm³.

Beneath the atmospheric layer is a crust of mainly iron and other heavy nuclei. Under this layer lies a mantle of superfluid neutronium, which at the core can become mixed with quark matter. Most neutron stars rotate fast, with periods ranging from a few seconds down to milliseconds.

Uses

Neutron stars are one source of neutronium fuel.

See also

• Pulsar
• Magnetar