Pairing and the Cooling of Neutron Stars

Abstract

In this review, I present a brief summary of the impact of nucleon pairing at supra-nuclear densities on the cooling of neutron stars. I also describe how the recent observation of the cooling of the neutron star in the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A may provide us with the first direct evidence for the occurrence of such pairing. It also implies a size of the neutron 3P-F2 energy gap of the order of 0.1 MeV.

Comments: Contributed chapter in "50 Years of Nuclear BCS", edited by R. A. Broglia and V. Zelevinsky