Specific heat of superfluid matter in the inner crust of neutron stars

Journal Article · Sat Oct 15 04:00:00 EDT 1994 · Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.50.4781· OSTI ID:7170147

Broglia, R A; De Blasio, F; Lazzari, G; Lazzari, M; Pizzochero, P M ^[1]

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1. Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 16, 20133 Milano (Italy) Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Milano, Via Celoria 16, 20133 Milano (Italy) The Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen (Denmark)

The superfluid properties of matter in the inner crust of a neutron star (4.3[times]10[sup 11] g cm[sup [minus]3][lt][rho] [lt]2.4[times]10[sup 14] g cm[sup [minus]3]), where a Coulomb lattice of neutron-rich nuclei is permeated by a gas of unbound neutrons, are studied by making use of a semiclassical model to determine the spatial behavior of the neutron pairing gap. A strong variation of this quantity as a function of position in the Wigner-Seitz cell is found, the gap being small inside the nucleus, attaining its maximum at the nuclear surface and then saturating to an intermediate value outside the nucleus. While the specific heat of this superfluid system is obviously reduced as compared to that associated with the normal phase, in a physically relevant range of densities and temperatures ([rho]/[rho][sub 0][gt]0.03 and [ital T][gt]0.08 MeV), its value is considerably larger than that associated with a uniform neutron superfluid, and of the same order of magnitude as the electronic specific heat.

• OSTI ID: 7170147
• Journal Information: Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States), Journal Name: Physical Review, D (Particles Fields); (United States) Vol. 50:8; ISSN PRVDAQ; ISSN 0556-2821
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

663110* -- General & Average Properties of Nuclei & Nuclear Energy Levels-- (1992-)
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
ISOTOPES
MATTER
NEUTRON STARS
NEUTRON-RICH ISOTOPES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RADIOISOTOPES
SEMICLASSICAL APPROXIMATION
SPECIFIC HEAT
STARS
SUPERFLUIDITY
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES