Limit on the Axion Decay Constant from the Cooling Neutron Star in Cassiopeia A
SPEAKER
Natsumi Nagata, Department of Physics, University of Tokyo
PLACE
Meeting room 3, Kenkyu honkan 1F
The observed rapid cooling of the neutron star (NS) located at the center of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A) can be explained in the minimal NS cooling scenario. This consequence may be changed if there exists an extra cooling source, such as axion emission. In this talk, I will first give a brief review on the standard NS cooling theory. I will then discuss the Cas A NS cooling in the presence of axion emission. It turns out that we can obtain a lower limit on the axion decay constant from the Cas A NS cooling observation, which is as strong as existing limits set by other astrophysical observations such as SN1987A. I will also talk about some recent progress on the limits on the axion decay constant from NS surface temperature observations.