THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES OF SUPERFLUID NEUTRON-STAR MATTER

The specific heat of the superfluid neutrons in the inner crust of a n eutron star, where neutron-rich nuclei in a Coulomb lattice are permea ted by a gas of unbound neutrons, is studied in the framework of a sem iclassical model based on the local density approximation, in order to describe the nonuniform pairing gap in the Wigner-Seitz cell. We have found that the specific heat of this superfluid system in a relevant range of densities and temperatures for the crust, has a value conside rably larger than that associated with a uniform neutron superfluid Th is result may have relevance in the study of the thermal evolution of neutron stars.