The low lying modes of triplet-condensed neutron matter and their effective theory

TL;DR

This paper derives the effective field theory describing low-energy excitations, specifically angulons, in triplet-condensed neutron matter relevant for neutron star interiors, impacting their transport and cooling properties.

Contribution

It provides the first derivation of the low energy effective theory for angulons in 3P2 neutron superfluids, including electroweak couplings.

Findings

Derived the leading terms of the effective field theory for angulons.

Included the coupling of angulons to electroweak currents.

Applicable to various 3P2 neutron superfluid phases.

Abstract

The condensation of neutrons into a 3P2 superfluid phase occurs at densities relevant for the interior of neutron stars. The triplet pairing breaks rotational symmetry spontaneously and leads to the existence of gapless modes (angulons) that are relevant for many transport coefficients and to the star's cooling properties. We derive the leading terms of the low energy effective field theory, including the leading coupling to electroweak currents, valid for a variety of possible 3P2 phases.