  We present the results of continued monitoring of the quiescent neutron star
low-mass X-ray binary XTE J1701-462 with Chandra and Swift. A new Chandra
observation from 2010 October extends our tracking of the neutron star surface
temperature from ~800 days to ~1160 days since the end of an exceptionally
luminous 19 month outburst. This observation indicates that the neutron star
crust may still be slowly cooling toward thermal equilibrium with the core;
another observation further into quiescence is needed to verify this. The shape
of the overall cooling curve is consistent with that of a broken power law,
although an exponential decay to a constant level cannot be excluded with the
present data. To investigate possible low-level activity, we conducted a
monitoring campaign of XTE J1701-462 with Swift during 2010 April-October.
Short-term flares - presumably arising from episodic low-level accretion - were
observed up to a luminosity of ~1e35 erg/s, ~20 times higher than the normal
quiescent level. We conclude that flares of this magnitude are not likely to
have significantly affected the equilibrium temperature of the neutron star and
are probably not able to have a measurable impact on the cooling curve.
However, it is possible that brighter and longer periods of low-level activity
have had an appreciable effect on the equilibrium temperature.

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena