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We solve numerically in the complex plane all the differential equations involved in Hartle's perturbation method for computing general-relativistic polytropic models of rotating neutron stars. We give emphasis on computing quantities describing the geometry of models in rapid rotation. Compared to numerical results obtained by certain sophisticated iterative methods, we verify appreciable improvement of our results vs to those given by the classical Hartle's perturbative scheme.

We compute general-relativistic polytropic models of magnetized rotating neutron stars, assuming that magnetic field and rotation can be treated as decoupled perturbations acting on the nondistorted configuration. Concerning the magnetic field, we develop and apply a numerical method for solving the relativistic Grad–Shafranov equation as a nonhomogeneous Sturm–Liouville problem with nonstandard boundary conditions. We present significant geometrical and physical characteristics of six models, four of which are models of maximum mass. We find negative ellipticities owing to a magnetic field with both toroidal and poloidal components; thus the corresponding configurations have prolate shape. We also compute models of magnetized rotating neutron stars with almost spherical shape due to the counterbalancing of the rotational effect (tending to yield oblate configurations) and the magnetic effect (tending in turn to derive prolate configurations). In this work such models are simply called "equalizers." We emphasize on numerical results related to magnetars, i.e. ultramagnetized neutron stars with relatively long rotation periods.

In this paper, we modify the Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg code of fourth and fifth order with the purpose of solving initial value problems established on ordinary differential equations involving complex-valued functions of one complex variable, which are allowed to have high complexity in their definition, when integration along prescribed complex paths is required. Such initial value problems arise in certain astrophysical issues, like the polytropic models, applied to polytropic stars, and the general-relativistic polytropic models, applied to neutron stars. Comparison with similar codes is made by applying to these models.