| Abstract
| - Several different processes could be changing the density in the core of a neutron star, leading to a departure from β equilibrium, quantified by the chemical potential difference δμ≡μn−μp−μe. The evolution of this quantity is coupled to that of the star's interior temperature T by two functions that quantify the rate at which neutrino-emitting reactions proceed: the net reaction rate (difference between β decay and capture rates), Γnet(T, δμ), and the total emissivity (total energy-emission rate in the form of neutrinos and antineutrinos), εtot(T, δμ). Here, we present a simple and general relationship between these variables, ∂εtot/∂δμ= 3Γnet, and show that it holds even in the case of superfluid nucleons. This relation may simplify the numerical calculation of these quantities, including superfluid reduction factors.
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