Related papers: Mapping crustal heating with the cooling lightcurv…
An accretion outburst onto a neutron star transient heats the neutron star's crust out of thermal equilibrium with the core. After the outburst the crust thermally relaxes toward equilibrium with the neutron star core and the surface…
In accreting neutron star X-ray transients, the neutron star crust can be substantially heated out of thermal equilibrium with the core during an accretion outburst. The observed subsequent cooling in quiescence (when accretion has halted)…
We study thermal relaxation in a neutron star after internal heating events (outbursts) in the crust. We consider thin and thick spherically symmetric heaters, superfluid and non-superfluid crusts, stars with open and forbidden direct Urca…
The internal properties of the neutron star crust can be probed by observing the epoch of thermal relaxation. After the supernova explosion, powerful neutrino emission quickly cools the stellar core, while the crust stays hot. The cooling…
Neutron stars cooling after sustained accretion outbursts provide unique information about the neutron star crust and underlying dense matter. Comparisons between astronomical observations of these cooling transients and model calculations…
We simulate the cooling of the neutron star in the X-ray transient KS 1731-260 after the source returned to quiescence in 2001 from a long (>~ 12.5 yr) outburst state. We show that the cooling can be explained assuming that the crust…
Monitoring the cooling of neutron-star crusts heated during accretion outbursts allows us to infer the physics of the dense matter present in the crust. We examine the crust cooling evolution of the low-mass X-ray binary MXB 1659-29 up to…
Some neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries have very long outbursts (lasting several years) which can generate a significant amount of heat in the neutron star crust. After the system has returned to quiescence, the crust then thermally…
We review the nuclear and condensed matter physics underlying the thermal and transport properties of the neutron star inner crust. These properties play a key role in interpreting transient phenomena such as thermal relaxation in accreting…
Using a theoretical model, we track the thermal evolution of a cooling neutron star crust after an accretion induced heating period with the goal of constraining the crustal parameters. We present for the first time a crust cooling model…
We present a brief, observational review about the study of the cooling behaviour of accretion-heated neutron stars and the inferences about the neutron-star crust and core that have been obtained from these studies. Accretion of matter…
The heating and cooling of transiently accreting neutron stars provides a powerful probe of the structure and composition of their crust. Observations of superbursts and crust cooling of accretion-heated neutron stars require more heat…
In quasi-persistent neutron star transients, long outbursts cause the neutron star crust to be heated out of thermal equilibrium with the rest of the star. During quiescence, the crust then cools back down. Such crustal cooling has been…
Crustal cooling of accretion-heated neutron stars provides insight into the stellar interior of neutron stars. The neutron star X-ray transient, KS~1731$-$260, was in outburst for 12.5 years before returning to quiescence in 2001. We have…
The temperature in the crust of an accreting neutron star, which comprises its outermost kilometer, is set by heating from nuclear reactions at large densities, neutrino cooling, and heat transport from the interior. The heated crust has…
Thermal states of neutron stars in soft X-ray transients (SXRTs) are thought to be determined by "deep crustal heating" in the accreted matter that drives the quiescent luminosity and cooling via emission of photons and neutrinos from the…
We discuss the recent efforts to use a sub-class of neutron-star X-ray transients (the quasi-persistent transients) to probe the properties of neutron-star crusts and cores. Quasi-persistent X-ray transients experience accretion episodes…
Recently, crust cooling times have been measured for neutron stars after extended outbursts. These observations are very sensitive to the thermal conductivity $\kappa$ of the crust and strongly suggest that $\kappa$ is large. We perform…
Nuclear reactions occurring deep in the crust of a transiently accreting neutron star efficiently maintain the core at a temperature >5e7 K. When accretion halts, the envelope relaxes to a thermal equilibrium set by the flux from the hot…
Thermal radiation of neutron stars in soft X-ray transients (SXTs) in a quiescent state is believed to be powered by the heat deposited in the stellar crust due to nuclear reactions during accretion. Confronting observations of this…