Related papers: Constraining dense-matter superfluidity through th…
When a rotating neutron star loses angular momentum, the progressive reduction of the centrifugal force makes it contract. This perturbs each fluid element, raising the local pressure and originating deviations from beta equilibrium,…
Context: 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…
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…
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…
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…
In previous papers, we have shown that, as the rotation of a neutron star slows down, it will be internally heated as a consequence of the progressively changing mix of particles (rotochemical heating). In previously studied cases…
Rotochemical heating originates in a departure from beta equilibrium due to spin-down compression in a rotating neutron star. The main consequence is that the star eventually arrives at a quasi-equilibrium state, in which the thermal photon…
The core of a neutron star contains several species of particles, whose relative equilibrium concentrations are determined by the local density. As the star spins down, its centrifugal force decreases continuously, and the star contracts.…
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…
The spin-down of a neutron star, e.g. due to magneto-dipole losses, results in compression of the stellar matter and induces nuclear reactions at phase transitions between different nuclear species in the crust. We show that this mechanism…
The influence of nucleons superfluidity on the beta relaxation time of degenerate neutron star cores, composed of neutrons, protons and electrons, is investigated. We numerically calculate the implied reduction factors for both direct and…
Nonequilibrium conditions imposed by neutrino cooling through the liquid-solid transition lead to disorder in the solid crust of neutron stars. Disorder reduces the superfluid fraction, $\rho_s/\rho$, at densities above that of neutron…
Observations of pulsar glitches may provide insights on the internal physics of neutron stars and recent studies show how it is in principle possible to constrain pulsar masses with timing observations. The reliability of these estimates…
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…
The interior of mature neutron stars is expected to contain superfluid neutrons and superconducting protons. The influence of temperature and currents on superfluid properties is studied within the self-consistent time-dependent nuclear…
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…
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…
Rotation-powered "recycled" millisecond pulsars are a variety of rapidly-spinning neutron stars that typically show thermal X-ray radiation due to the heated surface of their magnetic polar caps. Detailed numerical modeling of the…
The question of whether there are enough superfluid neutrons in the inner crust of neutron stars to explain pulsar glitches remains a topic of debate. Previous band structure calculations suggest that the entrainment effect significantly…
The thermal emission detected from the millisecond pulsar J0437-4715 is not explained by standard cooling models of neutron stars without a heating mechanism. We investigated three heating mechanisms controlled by the rotational braking of…