[kadoban]

This is the best answer I've seen: https://physics.stackexchange.com/a/63387 which to my layman eyes basically seems to match your theory.

[JumpCrisscross]

Does this mean the neutrons are continuously degrading? Their decay products continuously recombining into new neutrons? (Though that would imply "evaporation" at the surface?)

[kadoban]

I _think_ not, it's just energenically unfavorable so it should ~never happen.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urca_process this does seem to be going on though, which tbh I just don't understand so it may contradict what I just said, or not.

[savant_penguin]

I'll pretend I understood what the answer says about there not being enough energy and boldly ask: what if the neutron star is spinning _really_ fast?

[jfoutz]

You are spinning pretty fast on the side of the planet, but you don’t go flying out into space. Same deal, I’d guess as a layman.