Nucleon superfluidity versus thermal states of isolated and transiently accreting neutron stars (original) (raw)

Impact of medium effects on the cooling of non-superfluid and superfluid neutron stars

Neutrino emission from the dense hadronic component in neutron stars is subject to strong modifications due to collective effects in the nuclear medium. We implement new estimates of the neutrino emissivities of two processes operating in the nuclear medium into numerical cooling simulations of neutron stars. The first process is the modified Urca process, for which the softening of the pion exchange mode and other polarization effects as well as the neutrino emission arising from the intermediate reaction states are taken into account. The second process concerns neutrino emission through superfluid pair breaking and formation processes. It is found that the medium effects on the emissivity of the modified Urca process result in a strong density dependence, which gives a smooth crossover from the standard to the nonstandard cooling scenario for increasing star masses. For superfluid stars, the superfluid pair breaking and formation processes accelerate mildly both the standard and the nonstandard cooling scenario. This leads to a good agreement between the theoretical cooling tracks and the rather low temperatures observed for objects like PSRs 0833-45 (Vela), 0656+14, and 0630+18 (Geminga). The robustness of our findings against variations in both the underlying equation of state of baryonic matter and the used fast cooling processes is demonstrated. Hence we conclude that the two recalculated neutrino emissivities studied here enable one to reproduce theoretically most of the observed pulsar temperatures by varying the masses of neutron star models.

Cooling of Superfluid Neutron Stars

2002

Cooling of neutron stars (NSs) with the cores composed of neutrons, protons, and electrons is analyzed. The main cooling regulators are discussed: opening of direct Urca process in a NS central kernel; superfluidity of nucleons in NS interiors; surface layers of light (accreted) elements; strong surface magnetic fields. An emphasis is paid on the cooling scenario with strong 1^11S$_0$ pairing of protons and weak 3^33P$_2$ pairing of neutrons in the NS core, as well as strong 1^11S$_0$ pairing of neutrons in the NS crust. The theory predicts three types of isolated cooling middle-aged NSs with distinctly different properties: low-mass, slowly cooling NSs; medium-mass, moderately cooling NSs; massive, rapidly cooling NSs. The theory is compared with observations of isolated NSs -- pulsars and radio quiet NSs in supernova remnants. The constraints on physical properties of NSs which can be inferred from such a comparison are outlined.

Thermal states of neutron stars with a consistent model of interior

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2018

We model the thermal states of both isolated neutron stars and accreting neutron stars in X-ray transients in quiescence and confront them with observations. We use an equation of state and superfluid baryon gaps, which are consistently calculated. We conclude that the direct Urca process is required to be consistent with low-luminous accreting neutron stars. In addition, proton superfluidity and sufficiently weak neutron superfluidity are necessary to explain the cooling of middle-aged neutron stars and to obtain a realistic distribution of neutron star masses.

Confronting Neutron Star Cooling Theories with New Observations

The Astrophysical Journal, 2002

With the successful launch of Chandra and XMM/Newton X-ray space missions combined with the lower-energy band observations, we are now in the position where careful comparison of neutron star cooling theories with observations will make it possible to distinguish among various competing theories. For instance, the latest theoretical and observational developments appear to exclude both nucleon and kaon direct URCA cooling. In this way we can now have realistic hope for determining various important properties, such as the composition, degree of superfluidity, the equation of state and stellar radius. These developments should help us obtain better insight into the properties of dense matter.

Radiation of Neutron Stars Produced by Superfluid Core

The Astrophysical Journal, 2003

We find a new mechanism of neutron star radiation wherein radiation is produced by the stellar interior. The main finding is that the neutron star interior is transparent for collisionless electron sound, the same way as it is transparent for neutrinos. In the presence of the magnetic field the electron sound is coupled with electromagnetic radiation; such collective excitation is known as a fast magnetosonic wave. At high densities such waves reduce to the zero sound in electron liquid, while near the stellar surface they are similar to electromagnetic waves in a medium. We find that zero sound is generated by superfluid vortices in the stellar core. Thermally excited helical vortex waves produce fast magnetosonic waves in the stellar crust that propagate toward the surface and transform into outgoing electromagnetic radiation. The magnetosonic waves are partially absorbed in a thin layer below the surface. The absorption is highly anisotropic; it is smaller for waves that in the absorbing layer propagate closer to the magnetic field direction. As a result, the vortex radiation is pulsed with the period of star rotation. The vortex radiation has the spectral index % À0:45 and can explain nonthermal radiation of middle-aged pulsars observed in the infrared, optical, and hard X-ray bands. The radiation is produced in the star interior, rather than in the magnetosphere, which allows direct determination of the core temperature. Comparing the theory with available spectra observations, we find that the core temperature of the Vela pulsar is T % 8 Â 10 8 K, while the core temperature of PSR B0656+14 and Geminga exceeds 2 Â 10 8 K. This is the first measurement of the temperature of a neutron star core. The temperature estimate rules out equations of state incorporating Bose condensations of pions or kaons and quark matter in these objects. The estimate also allows us to determine the critical temperature of triplet neutron superfluidity in the Vela core, T c ¼ ð7:5 AE 1:5Þ Â 10 9 K, which agrees well with the value of critical temperature in a core of a canonical neutron star calculated based on recent data for behavior of strong interactions at high energies. We also find that in the middle-aged neutron stars the vortex radiation, rather than thermal conductivity, is the main mechanism of heat transfer from the stellar core to the surface. The core radiation opens a possibility to study composition of neutron star crust by detection of absorption lines corresponding to the low-energy excitations of crust nuclei. Bottom layers of the crust may contain exotic nuclei with the mass number up to 600, and the core radiation creates a perspective to study their properties. In principle, zero sound can also be emitted by other mechanisms, rather than vortices. In this case the spectrum of stellar radiation would contain features corresponding to such processes. As a result, zero sound opens a perspective of direct spectroscopic study of superdense matter in the neutron star interior.

Cooling of Isolated Neutron Stars As a Probe of Superdense Matter Physics

Quark Confinement and the Hadron …, 2008

We review a current state of cooling theory of isolated neutron stars. The main regulators of neutron star cooling are discussed. We outline the sensitivity of cooling models to equation of state of matter in the neutron star core; the presence or absence of enhanced neutrino emission; ...

Recent Developments in Neutron Star Thermal Evolution Theories and Observation

AIP Conference Proceedings, 2006

Recent years have seen some significant progress in theoretical studies of physics of dense matter. Combined with the observational data now available from the successful launch of Chandra and XMM/Newton X-ray space missions as well as various lower-energy band observations, these developments now offer the hope for distinguishing various competing neutron star thermal evolution models. For instance, the latest theoretical and observational developments may already exclude both nucleon and kaon direct Urca cooling. In this way we can now have a realistic hope for determining various important properties, such as the composition, superfluidity, the equation of state and stellar radius. These developments should help us obtain deeper insight into the properties of dense matter.

Cooling neutron star in the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant: evidence for superfluidity in the core

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters, 2011

According to recent results of Ho & Heinke (2009) and Heinke & Ho (2010), the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant contains a young (≈ 330 yr old) neutron star (NS) which has carbon atmosphere and shows noticeable decline of the effective surface temperature. We report a new (November 2010) Chandra observation which confirms the previously reported decline rate. The decline is naturally explained if neutrons have recently become superfluid (in triplet-state) in the NS core, producing a splash of neutrino emission due to Cooper pair formation (CPF) process that currently accelerates the cooling. This scenario puts stringent constraints on poorly known properties of NS cores: on density dependence of the temperature T cn (ρ) for the onset of neutron superfluidity [T cn (ρ) should have a wide peak with maximum ≈ (7 − 9) × 10 8 K], on the reduction factor q of CPF process by collective effects in superfluid matter (q > 0.4), and on the intensity of neutrino emission before the onset of neutron superfluidity (30-100 times weaker than the standard modified Urca process). This is serious evidence for nucleon superfluidity in NS cores that comes from observations of cooling NSs.

Minimal Cooling of Neutron Stars: A New Paradigm

The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, 2004

A new classification of neutron star cooling scenarios, involving either "minimal" cooling or "enhanced" cooling is proposed. The minimal cooling scenario replaces and extends the so-called standard cooling scenario to include neutrino emission from the Cooper pair breaking and formation process. This emission dominates that due to the modified Urca process for temperatures close to the critical temperature for superfluid pairing. Minimal cooling is distinguished from enhanced cooling by the absence of neutrino emission from any direct Urca process, due either to nucleons or to exotica such as hyperons, Bose condensates or deconfined quarks. Within the minimal cooling scenario, theoretical cooling models can be considered to be a four parameter family involving the equation of state (including various compositional possibilities) of dense matter, superfluid properties of dense matter, the composition of the neutron star envelope, and the mass of the neutron star. The consequences of minimal cooling are explored through extensive variations of these parameters. The results are compared with the inferred properties of thermally-emitting neutron stars in order to ascertain if enhanced cooling occurs in any of them.

Nuclear superfluidity and cooling time of neutron stars

The European Physical Journal Special Topics, 2008

We analyse the effect of neutron superfluidity on the cooling time of inner crust matter in neutron stars, in the case of a rapid cooling of the core. The specific heat of the inner crust, which determines the thermal response of the crust, is calculated in the framework of HFB approach at finite temperature. The calculations are performed with two paring forces chosen to simulate the pairing properties of uniform neutron matter corresponding respectively to Gogny-BCS approximation and to many-body techniques including polarisation effects. Using a simple model for the heat transport across the inner crust, it is shown that the two pairing forces give very different values for the cooling time.