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Lower limit on the heat capacity of the neutron star core

Andrew Cumming, Edward F. Brown, Farrukh J. Fattoyev, C. J. Horowitz, Dany Page, and Sanjay Reddy
Phys. Rev. C 95, 025806 – Published 21 February 2017

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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  • Received 26 August 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.95.025806

©2017 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Nuclear PhysicsGravitation, Cosmology & Astrophysics

Authors & Affiliations

Andrew Cumming1,*, Edward F. Brown2,†, Farrukh J. Fattoyev3,‡, C. J. Horowitz3,§, Dany Page4,∥, and Sanjay Reddy5,¶

  • 1Department of Physics and McGill Space Institute, McGill University, 3600 rue University, Montreal QC, Canada H3A 2T8
  • 2Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, 567 Wilson Road, East Lansing, Michigan 48864, USA
  • 3Center for Exploration of Energy and Matter and Department of Physics, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA
  • 4Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México D.F. 04510, Mexico
  • 5Institute for Nuclear Theory, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195,USA

  • *andrew.cumming@mcgill.ca
  • ebrown@pa.msu.edu
  • ffattoye@indiana.edu
  • §horowit@indiana.edu
  • page@astro.unam.mx
  • sareddy@uw.edu

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Issue

Vol. 95, Iss. 2 — February 2017

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