Work

Limiting Rotation Rate of Neutron Stars from Crust Breaking and Gravitational Waves

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Neutron stars are not observed to spin faster than about half their breakup rate. This limiting rotational frequency may be related to the strength of their crusts. As a star spins up from accretion, centrifugal forces stress the crust. We perform finite-element simulations of rotating neutron stars and find that the crust fails at rotation rates about half the breakup rate. Given uncertainties in microphysics, we have not determined the crust configuration after this failure. Instead, we argue that the crust may fail in an asymmetric way and could produce a configuration with a significant ellipticity (fractional difference in moments of inertia). If the ellipticity is large, a rotating star will radiate gravitational waves that may limit further spin-up. These stars may be promising sources for LIGO/VIRGO and next-generation gravitational-wave detectors.

Source: The Astrophysical Journal Letters

DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad9ea7

Authors: J. A. Morales, C. J. Horowitz

Language: English

Topic: Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,400

Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science

Awards: THEORETICAL STUDIES OF INTERMEDIATE - ENERGY NUCLEAR PHYSICS, G222768804, THEORETICAL STUDIES IN NUCLEAR AND HADRONIC PHYSICS, Nuclear Physics from Multi-Messenger Mergers (NP3M), THEORETICAL STUDIES IN NUCLEAR AND HADRONIC PHYSICS