Effects of the δ meson on the direct Urca processes in neutron stars

Abstract

In the framework of the relativistic mean field theory, the effects of the δ meson on the direct Urca (DURCA) processes are investigated. In a neutron star, the DURCA processes involving nucleons, Λ and Ξ− can take place while the process involving the Ξ0 can not. With the inclusion of the δ meson, the threshold densities for the DURCA processes become lower. With the δ included, the threshold neutron star mass for the DURCA process among nucleons and electrons becomes smaller while the threshold masses for the processes involving hyperons become larger. When the δ meson is included, the total neutrino emissivity remarkably increases in the density range of 0.32–0.41 fm−3. The total neutrino luminosity increases with the neutron star mass first and then decreases. The neutrino luminosity gets larger with the inclusion of the δ meson. The cooling of the EXO0748-676 is sensitive to the isovector scalar interaction.