Stability of interlinked neutron vortex and proton flux-tube arrays in a neutron star - II. Far-from-equilibrium dynamics

Abstract

The equilibrium configurations of neutron superfluid vortices interacting with proton superconductor flux tubes in a rotating, harmonic trap are non-trivial in general, when the magnetorotational symmetry is broken. A non-zero angle θ between the magnetic and rotation axes leads to tangled vorticity due to competition between vortex-vortex repulsion and vortex-flux-tube pinning. Here, we investigate the far-from-equilibrium behaviour of the vortices, as the trap decelerates, by solving the time-dependent, stochastic, Gross-Pitaevskii equation numerically in three dimensions. The numerical simulations reveal new vortex behaviours. Key geometrical attributes of the evolving vortex tangle are c..