English

Phase Transitions in Neutron Stars and Gravitational Wave Emission

Astrophysics 2009-11-07 v1 High Energy Physics - Phenomenology

Abstract

We review the detectability of gravitational waves generated by oscillations excited during a phase transition from hadronic matter to deconfined quark-gluon matter in the core of a neutron star. Neutron star properties were computed using a Boguta and Bodmer's based model and the MIT bag model. The maximum energy available to excite mechanical oscillations into the star is estimated by energy difference between the configurations with and without a quark-gluon matter core. On basis of the planned sensitivity of present laser interferometers (VIRGO or LIGO I) and those of the next generation (LIGO II), the maximum volume to be proped by these experiments is determined. These results are used as an indication of the potential detectability of neutron stars as sources of gravitational waves. Our results indicate that the maximum distance probed by the detectors of the first generation is well beyond M31, whereas the second generation detectors will probably see phase transitions events at distances two times longer, but certanly not yet attaining the Virgo cluster.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0208456,
  title  = {Phase Transitions in Neutron Stars and Gravitational Wave Emission},
  author = {G. F. Marranghello and C. A. Z. Vasconcellos and J. A. de Freitas Pacheco},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0208456},
  year   = {2009}
}

Comments

revtex4, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D