Contribution of the massive photon decay channel to the neutrino cooling of neutron stars

Abstract

The role of the massive photon decay via intermediate states of electron-electron-holes and proton-proton-holes into neutrino-anti-neutrino pairs in the course of neutron star cooling is investigated. These reactions may ba operative in hot neutron stars in the region of proton pairing. The corresponding contribution to the neutrino emissivity is calculated. It varies with the temperature as T^3/2e^−m_γ/T for T < m _γ, where m_γ is an effective photon mass in superconducting matter. Estimates show that this process appears as strong cooling channel of neutron stars at temperatures T ≈ ( 10⁹ - 10¹⁰) K.