RX J0720.4-3125: Implications for neutron star cooling and the dense matter equation of state

Details RX J0720.4-3125: Implications for neutron star cooling and the dense matter equation of state RX J0720.4-3125: Implications for neutron star cooling and the dense matter equation of state

May 1999

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1999a%26a...345..869w&link_type=abstract

Astronomy and Astrophysics, v.345, p.869-883 (1999)

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

5

Stars: Neutron, Stars: Evolution, Stars: Magnetic Fields, Dense Matter, X-Rays: Stars, Stars: Individual: Rx J0720.4-3125

Scientific paper

The soft X-ray source RX J0720.4-3125 appears to be a clean example of a cooling neutron star. Its X-ray emission is well-fit by a 79+/-4 eV blackbody and displays a periodic modulation with period P=8.391 sec and semi-amplitude ~ 10%. The observational upper limit to the period derivative implies a minimum spindown age of t0=1.7x 10(5) yr if the star was born rapidly rotating. The absence of a visible supernova remnant independently suggests an age for this source of gtrsim 10(5) yr. With the interpretation of this source as a cooling-driven, magnetized, rotating neutron star, we explore the implications for the dense matter equation of state (EOS), the mode of energy loss (modified URCA vs. direct URCA), and the rate of internal heating due to superfluid friction. For the standard (modified URCA) cooling models, we study two types of stars: those born slowly rotating, with relatively small spin-down rates and conventional dipole magnetic fields ( ~ 10(12) G), and those born rapidly rotating with large spin-down rates and magnetar-scale dipole fields ( ~ 10(14) G). We find that standard cooling with a stiff or moderately stiff EOS is consistent with the observations of RX J0720.4-3125 provided the star's age is ≲ 3 t_0=5*E(5) yr. If the EOS is very stiff, the star must be born with a short rotation period and significant internal heating by superfluid friction is required. More moderate heating suffices only if the star is very massive ( ~ 2 M_sun) and has an age ~ t_0. Stars with M ~ 1.4 M_sun and a moderately stiff EOS give modulations about a factor of five below that observed. However, the inclusion of atmospheric effects or more complex field geometries could increase the modulation to a level consistent with the observations. Stars with a stiff EOS give modulations close to that observed. As an illustration of the effects of accelerated cooling processes, we consider direct quark URCA cooling. We find that these models cool too fast and are cleanly ruled out for this source. Hence, exotic matter is an insignificant component in the stellar core, or does not participate in accelerated cooling. Direct URCA reactions in nucleonic matter are similarly ruled out. A measure of RX J0720.4-3125's spin-down age would afford crucial tests of our conclusions.

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