Dany Page, Madappa Prakash, James M. Lattimer, Andrew W. Steiner
The supernova remnant Cassiopeia A contains the youngest known neutron star
which is also the first one for which real time cooling has ever been observed.
In order to explain the rapid cooling of this neutron star, we first present
the fundamental properties of neutron stars that control their thermal
evolution with emphasis on the neutrino emission processes and neutron/proton
superfluidity/superconductivity. Equipped with these results, we present a
scenario in which the observed cooling of the neutron star in Cassiopeia A is
interpreted as being due to the recent onset of neutron superfluidity in the
core of the star. The manner in which the earlier occurrence of proton
superconductivity determines the observed rapidity of this neutron star's
cooling is highlighted. This is the first direct evidence that superfluidity
and superconductivity occur at supranuclear densities within neutron stars.
View original:
http://arxiv.org/abs/1110.5116
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