Vorticity affects the stability of neutron stars

V. Rezania, R. Maartens

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The spin rate Ω of neutron stars at a given temperature T is constrained by the interplay between gravitational-radiation instabilities and viscous damping. Navier-Stokes theory has been used to calculate the viscous damping time scales and produce a stability curve for r modes in the (Ω,T ) plane. In Navier-Stokes theory, viscosity is independent of vorticity, but kinetic theory predicts a coupling of vorticity to the shear viscosity. We calculate this coupling and show that it can in principle significantly modify the stability diagram at lower temperatures. As a result, colder stars can remain stable at higher spin rates.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2560-2563
Number of pages4
JournalPhysical Review Letters
Volume84
Issue number12
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 20 Mar 2000

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