Constraints on Neutron-Mirror-Neutron Oscillation from Neutron Star Cooling

TL;DR

This paper investigates how mirror neutron oscillations could heat neutron stars and how new effects in mirror models might weaken existing bounds, impacting the feasibility of detecting such oscillations in terrestrial experiments.

Contribution

It introduces a new effect in nearly exact mirror models involving mirror beta decay that can significantly relax bounds on neutron-mirror neutron mixing from neutron star observations.

Findings

Mirror beta decay creates a mirror particle cloud inside neutron stars.

Mirror particles can transfer energy via scattering, reducing observable heating.

Unobserved mirror photon emission can relax previous bounds on oscillation parameters.

Abstract

We address a method of limiting neutron-mirror neutron mixing ($\epsilon_{nn'}$) by analyzing its effect on neutron star (NS) heating. This method employs observational bounds on the surface temperature of NSs to constrain $\epsilon_{nn'}$. It has been suggested that the bound obtained this way is so stringent that it would exclude any discovery of $n-n'$ oscillation in the currently planned terrestrial experiments at various laboratories. This conclusion motivated us to critically analyze this suggestion in more detail. In this note, we point out a very interesting new effect present in nearly exact mirror models, which can significantly affect this bound. The new element is that in nearly exact mirror models there is the mirror analog of $\beta$ decay, i.e. $n' \to p' + e' + \bar\nu'_e$, which creates a cloud of mirror particles $n'$, $p'$, $e'$, $D'$ and He$'$ inside the NS. The resulting $e'$ can "rob" the energy generated by the $n \to n'$ transition from the NS, via $e-e'$ scattering enabled by the presence of a (minute) millicharge in mirror particles. Such a tiny millicharge on mirror particles is highly likely in these models. This results in energy being emitted as unobserved mirror photons via fast mirror bremsstrahlung, whose effect is to relax the stringent bounds on $\epsilon_{nn'}$.