2022MNRAS.509.2609A

Neutron star models with maximum mass close to 2 M_☉ reach high central densities, which may activate nucleonic and hyperon direct Urca neutrino emission. To alleviate the tension between fast theoretical cooling rates and thermal luminosity observations of moderately magnetized, isolated thermally emitting stars (with L_γ >= 10³¹ erg s^–1 at t >= 10^5.3 yr), some internal heating source is required. The power supplied by the internal heater is estimated for both a phenomenological source in the inner crust and Joule heating due to magnetic field decay, assuming different superfluidity models and compositions of the outer stellar envelope. It is found that a thermal power of W(t) ≃ 10³⁴ erg s^–1 allows neutron star models to match observations of moderately magnetized, isolated stars with ages t >= 10^5.3 yr. The requisite W(t) can be supplied by Joule heating due to crust-confined initial magnetic configurations with (i) mixed poloidal-toroidal fields, with surface strength B_dip = 10¹³ G at the pole of the dipolar poloidal component and ∼90 per cent of the magnetic energy stored in the toroidal component; and (ii) poloidal-only configurations with B_dip = 10¹⁴ G.