Amorphous and heterogeneous phase of neutron star matter

Solid neutron star matter above the neutron-drip threshold has thermal fluc tuations in nuclear charge, near the melting temperature, so large that the system probably cools to amorphous heterogeneous form rather than the homo geneous bce lattice usually assumed. This result, obtained by the calculati on of impurity nucleus formation enthalpy, shows the need to reconsider the electrical conductivity of neutron star matter, the evolution of the magne tic flux distribution, and the role of superfluid neutron vortex pinning in pulsar glitch phenomena.