Related papers: Forecasting neutron star temperatures: predictabil…
We explore, using an exact cooling code, the thermal evolution of a neutron star undergoing episodes of intense accretion, alternated by long periods of quiescence (e.g. Soft X-Ray Transients). We find that the soft component of the…
We present a global linear stability analysis of nuclear fuel accumulating on the surface of an accreting neutron star and we identify the conditions under which thermonuclear bursts are triggered. The analysis reproduces all the recognized…
Thermal evolution of neutron stars is known to depend on the properties of superdense matter in neutron star cores. We suggest a statistical analysis of isolated cooling middle-aged neutron stars and old transiently accreting…
We study the effect of physics input on thermal evolution of neutron stars in soft X-ray transients (SXTs). In particular, we consider different modern models of the sources of deep crustal heating during accretion episodes and the effects…
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…
X-ray observations of quiescent X-ray binaries have the potential to provide insight into the structure and the composition of neutron stars. EXO 0748-676 had been actively accreting for over 24 yr before its outburst ceased in late 2008.…
Transient LMXBs that host neutron stars (NSs) provide excellent laboratories for probing the dense matter physics present in NS crusts. During accretion outbursts in LMXBs, exothermic reactions may heat the NS crust, disrupting the…
Thermal emission 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 (deep crustal heating paradigm).…
Neutron stars in Low Mass X-ray Binaries (LMXBs) can accrete matter onto their surface from the companion star. Transiently accreting neutron stars go through alternating phases of active accretion outbursts and quiescence. X-ray…
We show that observations of the core temperature of transiently-accreting neutron stars combined with observations of an accretion outburst give a lower limit to the neutron star core heat capacity. For the neutron stars in the low mass…
A hypothetical time-variation of the gravitational constant $G$ would make neutron stars expand or contract, so the matter in their interiors would depart from beta equilibrium. This induces non-equilibrium weak reactions, which release…
Nuclear reactions heat and cool the crust of accreting neutron stars and need to be understood to interpret observations of X-ray bursts and of long-term cooling in transiently accreting systems. It was recently suggested that previously…
The monitoring of quiescent emission from neutron star transients with accretion outbursts long enough to significantly heat the neutron star crust has opened a new vista onto the physics of dense matter. In this paper we construct models…
We report on two new quiescent {\it XMM-Newton} observations (in addition to the earlier {\it Swift}/XRT and {\it XMM-Newton} coverage) of the cooling neutron star crust in the low-mass X-ray binary 1RXS J180408.9$-$342058. Its crust was…
The cooling theory of isolated neutron stars is reviewed. The main cooling regulators are discussed, first of all, operation of direct Urca process (or similar processes in exotic phases of dense matter) and superfluidity in stellar…
Passively cooling neutron stars (NSs) should reach undetectably low surface temperatures $T_s<10^4$ K in less than $10^7$ yr. However, HST observations have revealed likely thermal UV emission from the Gyr-old millisecond pulsars…
A hypothetical time-variation of the gravitational constant $G$ would cause neutron star matter to depart from beta equilibrium, due to the changing hydrostatic equilibrium. This forces non-equilibrium beta processes to occur, which release…
We present two-dimensional simulations for the cooling of neutron stars with strong magnetic fields (B > 1e13 Gauss). We study how the cooling curves are influenced by magnetic field decay. We show that the Joule heating effects are very…
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…
The observation of thermal emission from isolated neutron stars and the modeling of the corresponding cooling curves has been very useful to get information on the properties of matter at very high densities. More recently, the detection of…