Neutron Star Crustal Mass Fractions
Abstract
We are investigating mass fractions on the crust of a neutron star which would remain after one year of cooling. We use cooling curves corresponding with various densities, or depths, of the neutron star just after its formation. We assume the modified Urca process dominates the energy budget of the outer layers of the star in order to calculate the temperature of the neutron star as a function of time. Using a nuclear reaction network up to technetium, we calculate how the distribution of nuclei quenches at various depths of the neutron star crust. The initial results indicate that 28Si is the lightest isotope to be optically thick on the surface after one year of cooling.
- Publication:
-
40 Years of Pulsars: Millisecond Pulsars, Magnetars and More
- Pub Date:
- February 2008
- DOI:
- 10.1063/1.2900260
- arXiv:
- arXiv:0710.0418
- Bibcode:
- 2008AIPC..983..388H
- Keywords:
-
- 97.60.Jd;
- 26.60.-c;
- 97.10.Nf;
- Neutron stars;
- Nuclear matter aspects of neutron stars;
- Masses;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- Comments: 40 Years of Pulsars conference: Millisecond Pulsars, Magnetars and More. McGill University, Montreal, Canada, August 12-17, 2007. 3 pages 4 figures