We study heat diffusion after an energy release in a deep spherical layer of outer neutron star crust (10⁷ < rho < 4×10¹¹ g/cc). We demonstrate that this layer possesses specific heat consuming properties, absorbing heat and directing it mostly inside the star. It can absorb up to 10⁴⁵ erg due to its high heat capacity, until its temperature essentially exceeds T = 10⁹ K and triggers a rapid neutrino cooling. A warm layer T = 10⁸-10⁹ K can serve as good heat reservoir which is thermally decoupled from the inner crust and the stellar core for a few months. We present a toy model to explore the heat diffusion within the heat consuming layer. Some general generic features of the heat propagation are formulated which can be useful, for instance, for the interpretation of superbursts in accreting neutron stars in low-mass X-ray binaries.

Page created on February 14, 2020.