Effect of strong magnetic field on electron capture of iron group nuclei in crusts of neutron stars

In this paper electron capture on iron group nuclei in crusts of neutron stars in a strong magnetic field is investigated. The results show that the magnetic fields have only a slight effect on electron capture rates in a range of 10^8-10^13G on surfaces of most neutron stars, whereas for some magnetars the magnetic fields range from 10^13 to 10^18 G. The electron capture rates of most iron group nuclei are greatly decreased, reduced by even four orders of magnitude due to the strong magnetic field.