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APS » Journals » Phys. Rev. Lett. » Volume 66 » Issue 21
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 66, 2701–2704 (1991)

Direct URCA process in neutron stars

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James M. Lattimer
Earth and Space Sciences Department, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794

C. J. Pethick
NORDITA, Blegdamsvej 17, DK-2100 Copenhagen O/, Denmark
Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801

Madappa Prakash
Department of Physics, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794

Pawel Haensel
Copernicus Astronomical Center, 00-716 Warszawa, Poland

Received 29 January 1991; published in the issue dated 27 May 1991

We show that the direct URCA process can occur in neutron stars if the proton concentration exceeds some critical value in the range 11–15%. The proton concentration, which is determined by the poorly known symmetry energy of matter above nuclear density, exceeds the critical value in many current calculations. If it occurs, the direct URCA process enhances neutrino emission and neutron star cooling rates by a large factor compared to any process considered previously.

© 1991 The American Physical Society

URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.66.2701
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevLett.66.2701
PACS:
97.60.Jd, 21.65.+f, 95.30.Cq
 
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