Spin response and neutrino emissivity of dense neutron matter

Abstract

We study the spin response of cold dense neutron matter in the limit of zero momentum transfer and show that the frequency dependence of the long-wavelength spin response is well constrained by sum rules and the asymptotic behavior of the two-particle response at high frequency. The sum rules are calculated using an auxiliary field diffusion Monte Carlo technique and the high-frequency two-particle response is calculated for several nucleon-nucleon potentials. At nuclear saturation density, the sum rules suggest that the strength of the spin response peaks at $\ensuremath{\omega}\ensuremath{\simeq}$ 40--60 MeV, decays rapidly for $\ensuremath{\omega}\ensuremath{\ge}100$ MeV, and has a sizable strength below 40 MeV. This strength at relatively low energy may lead to enhanced neutrino production rates in dense neutron-rich matter at temperatures of relevance to core-collapse supernova.