Neutrino-Pair Emission due to Electron-Phonon Scattering in a Neutron Star Crust

Abstract

Neutrino-pair bremsstrahlung radiation is considered due to electron--phonon scattering of degenerate, relativistic electrons in a lattice of spherical atomic nuclei in a neutron star crust. The neutrino energy generation rate is calculated taking into account exact spectrum of phonons, the Debye--Waller factor, and the nuclear form--factor in the density range from $10^7$~g~cm$^{-3}$ to $10^{14}$~g~cm$^{-3}$ at arbitrary nuclear composition for body-centered-cubic and face-centered-cubic Coulomb crystals. The results are fitted by a unified analytic expression. A comparison is given of the neutrino bremsstrahlung energy losses in a neutron star crust composed of ground state and accreted matter, in the solid and liquid phases.