Localized Transient Heating in a Magnetized Neutron‐Star Crust: A Two‐Dimensional Transport Benchmark

ABSTRACT We present a controlled two‐dimensional benchmark of localized transient heating in a magnetized neutron‐star crust. An axisymmetric implicit finite‐volume solver evolves a BSk24‐based crust with tabulated magnetized transport coefficients and a fixed purely poloidal dipole field (). The full conductivity tensor, including , is retained. Three equal‐energy prescribed injection configurations are compared: upper‐boundary thermal‐flux injection, crustal volumetric injection, and their combination. These source terms are imposed forcings rather than self‐consistent realizations of specific heating mechanisms. Upper‐boundary injection gives the earliest and brightest excess luminosity, whereas crustal volumetric injection radiates a much smaller fraction of its energy within days. Setting changes the early luminosity peak by less than , the excess luminosity at days by about , and the angular surface‐temperature profile by up to . Time‐step and energy checks support the reported trends, while the spatial test identifies the adopted grid as a practical baseline rather than a fully converged limit. The model is not intended for direct fitting of observed magnetar light curves, but as a reproducible transport benchmark for future, more complete calculations.