Limits from the soft X-ray background on the temperature of old neutron stars and on the flux of superheavy magnetic monopoles

Abstract

view Abstract Citations (26) References (37) Co-Reads Similar Papers Volume Content Graphics Metrics Export Citation NASA/ADS Limits from the soft X-ray background on the temperature of old neutron stars and on the flux of superheavy magnetic monopoles Kolb, E. W. ; Turner, M. S. Abstract Using recent observations of the diffuse, soft X-ray background, we obtain upper limits of 49 eV to the average surface temperature and 1032 ergs s-1 to the total photon luminosity of old (∼ 1010 yr) neutron stars in the Galaxy. If neutron stars are kept hot through monopole-induced nucleon decay, this limit corresponds to a monopole flux limit of FM(σ0 β) < 3r x 10-23 cm-2 sr-1 s-1, where the cross section for catalyzed nucleon decay times the monopole-nucleon relative velocity is σ v = 10-28(σ0 βc) cm2 (β = v/c), and r=LTOT/Lγ is the ratio of the total luminosity to the photon luminosity of a neutron star whose surface temperature T ≍ 50 eV. For conventional neutron star equations of state r ≍ 1, while for the more exotic ones r can be O(103-104). Although our temperature limit places a very stringent limit on the monopole flux, it does not significantly constrain other mechanisms for heating old neutron stars. Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Pub Date: November 1984 DOI: 10.1086/162645 Bibcode: 1984ApJ...286..702K Keywords: Background Radiation; Magnetic Monopoles; Neutron Stars; Stellar Luminosity; Stellar Temperature; X Ray Sources; Diffuse Radiation; Milky Way Galaxy; Radioactive Decay; Stellar Evolution; Astrophysics full text sources ADS |