Modelling neutron star energy loss

Neutron stars allow for the investigation of dense nuclear matter under conditions that can typically not be recreated in terrestrial laboratories. Pulsars, which are rapidly rotating neutron stars, experience a gradual spin-down over their lifetimes due to multiple energy-loss mechanisms whose relative contributions evolve with age and strongly depend on the equation of state. These mechanisms include gravitational wave emission, magnetic dipole radiation, spin-polarization decay, neutrino emission, thermal photon emission, and energy loss from mass ejection and structural compaction. Most existing energy-loss models focus on an individual mechanism during specific stages of a neutron star’s life. In this work, we present a model that incorporates the major energy-loss mechanisms throughout a neutron star’s evolution, enabling constraints on electromagnetic radiation mechanisms. By directly comparing the predicted contributions of different mechanisms with observed pulsar spin-down evolution, this approach offers new constraints on our understanding of dense nuclear matter.