Lower limit on the heat capacity of the neutron star core

Andrew Cumming; Edward F. Brown; Farrukh J. Fattoyev; C. J. Horowitz; Dany Page; Sanjay Reddy

doi:10.1103/PhysRevC.95.025806

Lower limit on the heat capacity of the neutron star core

Andrew Cumming, Edward F. Brown, Farrukh J. Fattoyev, C. J. Horowitz, Dany Page, Sanjay Reddy

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

50 Scopus citations

Abstract

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 x-ray binaries KS 1731-260, MXB 1659-29, and XTE J1701-462, we show that the lower limit is a factor of a few below the core heat capacity expected if neutrons and protons in the core are paired, so that electrons provide the dominant contribution to the heat capacity. This limit rules out a core dominated by a quark color-flavor-locked phase, which would have a much lower heat capacity. Future observations of or limits on cooling during quiescence will further constrain the core heat capacity.

Original language	English
Article number	025806
Journal	Physical Review C
Volume	95
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.95.025806
State	Published - 21 Feb 2017
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 American Physical Society.

Funding

A.C. was supported by an NSERC Discovery Grant. E.F.B. was supported by the US National Science Foundation under Grant No. AST-1516969. D.P. was partially supported by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia with CB-2014-1 Grant No. 240512. C.J.H. and F.J.F. were supported by DOE Grants No. DE-FG02-87ER40365 (Indiana University) and No. DE-SC0008808 (NUCLEI SciDAC Collaboration). S.R. was supported by DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-00ER41132 and by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. PHY-1430152 (JINA Center for the Evolution of the Elements).

Funders	Funder number
Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia	240512
US National Science Foundation	AST-1516969
National Science Foundation	PHY-1430152, 1516969
U.S. Department of Energy	DE-FG02-87ER40365
Indiana University	DE-SC0008808, DE-FG02-00ER41132
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

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10.1103/PhysRevC.95.025806

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abstract = "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 x-ray binaries KS 1731-260, MXB 1659-29, and XTE J1701-462, we show that the lower limit is a factor of a few below the core heat capacity expected if neutrons and protons in the core are paired, so that electrons provide the dominant contribution to the heat capacity. This limit rules out a core dominated by a quark color-flavor-locked phase, which would have a much lower heat capacity. Future observations of or limits on cooling during quiescence will further constrain the core heat capacity.",

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AU - Reddy, Sanjay

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AB - 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 x-ray binaries KS 1731-260, MXB 1659-29, and XTE J1701-462, we show that the lower limit is a factor of a few below the core heat capacity expected if neutrons and protons in the core are paired, so that electrons provide the dominant contribution to the heat capacity. This limit rules out a core dominated by a quark color-flavor-locked phase, which would have a much lower heat capacity. Future observations of or limits on cooling during quiescence will further constrain the core heat capacity.

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Lower limit on the heat capacity of the neutron star core

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

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