Colonizing a Neutron Star

Quite some time ago (
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.sf.science/browse_frm/thread/ca7037c
587195f83/b8e53951254d164d ) I proposed the idea of Tide World- a megascale
space habitat that makes use of tidal forces to generate gravity at either
end- and noted that a neutron star would be an ideal place to build one,
since you can get large tides over fairly short distances, but then I never
really went anywhere with that.

I'm wondering now, though, how exactly one might go about building a space
habitat around a neutron star. I like using a tide world both just because
you can, and because that provides an excuse to have some really long
tethers involved which could be used for generating large amounts of
electricity as the neutron star's magnetic field sweeps by. I expect you
could get some electricity out of the radiation environment- young, hot ones
will be glowing a bit in visible light if nothing else works out- but mining
the star's rotational kinetic energy via its magnetic field would provide
enormously more power.

Trouble is, you have to prevent the strong magnetic field and nasty
radiation from killing whatever is inside the habitat or screwing with their
electronics. Radiation shielding I figure can be taken care of by suitable
amounts of water and/or deflecting magnetic fields, but the
potentially-enormous magnetic field of the neutron star which is providing
all of your electrical power is another matter. Cover the whole thing in
superconductors, maybe, to exclude magnetic fields?

Another thought comes to mind. If you've got an old, quiet neutron star, and
maybe a convenient gas giant hanging around, would it be possible to feed
hydrogen onto the surface at just the right rate to keep up a continuous
fusion burn, as opposed to setting off cyclic nova events as the hydrogen
envelope builds up?

-l.
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Relevant Pages

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