Urca processes in dense matter and neutron star cooling

Urca-processes were introduced into astrophysics by Gamow and Schoenberg in 1941. Neutrino cooling resulting from urca-processes plays an important role at the latest stages of evolution of massive stars. Recent work on neutrino emissivity of dense matter shows that neutrino cooling via urca-process...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Space science reviews 1995-11, Vol.74 (3-4), p.427-436
Main Author: Haensel, Pawe?
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Urca-processes were introduced into astrophysics by Gamow and Schoenberg in 1941. Neutrino cooling resulting from urca-processes plays an important role at the latest stages of evolution of massive stars. Recent work on neutrino emissivity of dense matter shows that neutrino cooling via urca-processes could determine the thermal evolution of young neutron stars, and that it depends dramatically on the composition of the neutron star core. In particular, if a neutron star contains a central core in which the 'direct urca-process' is operative, the cooling timescale shortens by many orders of magnitude. (Author)
ISSN:0038-6308
1572-9672
DOI:10.1007/BF00751429