The influence of the boundary conditions used in the Wigner-Seitz
approximation applied to the neutron star inner crust is examined. The
generalized energy functional method which includes neutron and proton pairing
correlations is used. Predictions of two versions of the boundary conditions
are compared with each other. The uncertainties in the equilibrium
configuration (Z,R_c) of the crust, where Z is the proton charge and R_c the
radius of the Wigner-Seitz cell, correspond to variation of Z by 2 -- 6 units
and of R_c, by 1 -- 2 fm. The effect of the boundary conditions is enhanced at
increasing density. These uncertainties are smaller than the variation of Z and
R_c coming from the inclusion of pairing. The value of the pairing gap itself,
especially at high density, can depend on the boundary condition used.Comment: LaTeX, 11 pages, 3 figures, to be published in Phys. Lett.