Magnetic Field Evolution of Accreting Neutron Stars - II

We investigate the evolution of the magnetic field of isolated pulsars and of neutron stars in different kinds of binary systems, assuming the field to be originally confined to the crust. Our results for the field evolution in isolated neutron stars helps us to constrain the physical parameters of the crust. Modelling the full evolution of a neutron star in a binary system through several stages of interaction we compare the resulting final field strength with that observed in neutron stars in various types of binary systems. One of the interesting aspects of our result is a positive correlation between the rate of accretion and the final field strength, for which some observational indication already exists. Our results also match the overall picture of the field evolution in neutron stars derived from observations.Comment: 8 pages, LaTeX(mn.sty), figures(postscript) included, submitted to MNRAS References updated. Figures re-sized. Accepted in MNRA