paper

Phase Transitions in Nucleonic Matter and Neutron-Star Cooling

arXiv:astro-ph/0402514 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.93.151101

Abstract

A new scenario for neutron-star cooling is proposed, based on the correspondence between pion condensation, occurring in neutron matter due to critical spin-isospin fluctuations, and the metal-insulator phase transition in a two-dimensional electron gas. Beyond the threshold density for pion condensation, where neutron-star matter loses its spatial homogeneity, the neutron single-particle spectrum acquires an insulating gap that quenches neutron contributions to neutrino-production reactions and to the star's specific heat. In the liquid phase at densities below the transition point, spin-isospin fluctuations are found to play dual roles. On the one hand, they lead to a multi-sheeted neutron Fermi surface that extends to low momenta, thereby activating the normally forbidden direct-Urca cooling mechanism; on the other, they amplify the nodeless -wave neutron superfluid gap while suppressing -wave pairing. In this picture, lighter stars without a pion-condensed core experience slow cooling, while enhanced cooling occurs in heavier stars through direct-Urca emission from a narrow shell of the interior.

arXiv comment4 pages, 2 figures. Revised version. Accepted for publication in Phys.Rev.Lett

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