Rapid cooling of neutron star in Cassiopeia A and r-mode damping in the core

Shu-Hua Yang, Chun-Mei Pi, Xiao-Ping Zheng

Published 2011-03-06, updated 2011-06-20Version 3

We proposed alternative explanation to the rapid cooling of neutron star in Cas A. It is suggested that the star is experiencing the recovery period following the r-mode heating process,assuming the star is differentially rotating. Like the neutron-superfluidity-triggering model, our model predicts the rapid cooling will continue for several decades. However, the behavior of the two models has slight differences, and they might be distinguished by observations in the near future.