Related papers: Deviations from Chemical Equilibrium due to Spin-D…
A neutron star harbors of order $10^{56}$ electrons in its core, and almost the same number of muons, with muon decay prohibited by Pauli blocking. However, as macroscopic properties of the star such as its mass, rotational velocity, or…
Several different processes could be changing the density in the core of a neutron star, leading to a departure from $\beta$ equilibrium, quantified by the chemical potential difference $\delta\mu\equiv\mu_n-\mu_p-\mu_e$. The evolution of…
Transitions of nuclear compositions in the crust of a neutron star induced by stellar spin-down are evaluated at zero temperature. We construct a compressible liquid-drop model for the energy of nuclei immersed in a neutron gas, including…
The equilibrium composition of neutron star matter is achieved through weak interactions (direct and inverse beta decays), which proceed on relatively long time scales. If the density of a matter element is perturbed, it will relax to the…
The formation of the chemical composition of neutron star envelopes, at high densities is considered. As hot matter is compressed in the process of collapse, which leads to the explosion of a core collapse supernova, the stage of nuclear…
As a neutron star spins down, the gradual decrease of the centrifugal force produces a progressive increase of the density of any given fluid element in its interior. Since the ``chemical'' (or ``beta'') equilibrium state is determined by…
A number of properties of dense matter can be understood semiquantitatively in terms of simple physical arguments. We begin with the outer parts of neutron stars, and consider the density at which pressure ionization occurs, the density at…
When a rotating neutron star loses angular momentum, the reduction of the centrifugal force makes it contract. This perturbs each fluid element, raising the local pressure and originating deviations from beta equilibrium, inducing reactions…
Although the detailed structure of neutron stars remains unknown, their equilibrium temperatures lie well below the Fermi temperature of dense nuclear matter, suggesting that the nucleons in the stars' core form Cooper pairs and exhibit…
The temperature of a newly formed neutron star is believed to be as high as $10^{11}$~K, corresponding to a thermal energy of about $10$ MeV. After a time $t \sim 50 \ {\rm s}$, the neutrino mean free path in nuclear matter exceeds the…
When a rotating neutron star loses angular momentum, the reduction in the centrifugal force makes it contract. This perturbs each fluid element, raising the local pressure and originating deviations from beta equilibrium that enhance the…
We study the spin-down of a neutron star during its early stages due to the neutrino emission. The mechanism we consider is the subsequent collisions of the produced neutrinos with the outer shells of the star. We find that this mechanism…
As a neutron star spins down, its core density increase, changing the relative equilibrium concentration, and causing deconfinement phase transition as well. hadron matter are converted into quark matter in the interior, which enhances the…
Because of the tremendous densities that exist in the cores of neutron stars, a significant fraction of the matter in the cores of such stars is likely to exist in the form of hyperons. Depending on spin frequency, the hyperon content…
Pulsars show a steady decrease in their rotational frequency, occasionally interrupted by sudden spin-ups called glitches, whose physical origin is still a mystery. One suggested explanation for at least the small glitches are starquakes,…
The process of a non-equilibrium chemical composition formation in the crust of a new born neutron star is considered, during cooling due to neutrino energy losses. A model is constructed for explaining accumulation of a large quantity of…
The crust of a neutron star is known to melt at a temperature that increases with increasing matter density, up to about $10^{10}$ K. At such high temperatures and beyond, the crustal ions are put into collective motion and the associated…
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…
Neutron stars provide a fertile environment for exploring superfluidity under extreme conditions. It is not surprising that Cooper pairing occurs in dense matter since nucleon pairing is observed in nuclei as energy differences between…
The core of a massive star (M > 8 Msun) eventually collapses. This implosion usually triggers a supernova (SN) explosion that ejects most of the stellar envelope and leaves behind a neutron star (NS) with a mass of up to about 2 Msun.…