Vorticity affects the stability of neutron stars.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2000;
84:2560-2563. [PMID:
11017269 DOI:
10.1103/physrevlett.84.2560]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/1999] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The spin rate Omega 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 (Omega,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.
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