https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-022-10917-6
Regular Article - Theoretical Physics
Constraints on neutron–mirror-neutron oscillation from neutron star cooling
1
Afeka College, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
2
Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
3
Maryland Center for Fundamental Physics and Department of Physics, University of Maryland, 20742, College Park, MD, USA
4
School of Physics, Southeast University, 211189, Nanjing, China
Received:
29
May
2022
Accepted:
13
October
2022
Published online:
25
October
2022
We address a method of limiting neutron–mirror neutron mixing (
) by analyzing its effect on neutron star (NS) heating. This method employs observational bounds on the surface temperature of NSs to constrain . It has been suggested that the bound obtained this way is so stringent that it would exclude any discovery of 
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 
decay, i.e. 
, which creates a cloud of mirror particles 
, 
, 
, 
and He
inside the NS. The resulting can “rob” the energy generated by the 
transition from the NS, via 
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 .
© The Author(s) 2022
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