RAPID COOLING AND THE STRUCTURE OF NEUTRON-STARS

Recently proposed neutrino emission processes in high-density matter r esult in the relatively rapid cooling of a neutron star's interior fol lowed by a precipitous drop in the surface temperature. We show that t he time interval between the formation of the neutron star and the dro p in the surface temperature is primarily determined by the structure of the neutron star and is relatively insensitive to the rapid cooling mechanism itself. Thus, observations of thermal emissions from neutro n stars have the potential for constraining the neutron star's structu re and the underlying equation of state of dense matter.