R-mode runaway and rapidly rotating neutron stars
Abstract
We present a simple spin evolution model that predicts that rapidly rotating accreting neutron stars will mainly be confined to a narrow range of spin-frequencies; P= 1.5-5 ms. This is in agreement with current observations of both neutron stars in the Low-Mass X-ray Binaries and millisecond radiopulsars. The main ingredients in the model are; i) the instability of r-modes above a critical spin rate, ii) thermal runaway due to heat released as viscous damping mechanisms counteract the r-mode growth, and iii) a revised estimate of the strength of dissipation due to the presence of a viscous boundary layer at the base of the crust in an old and relatively cold neutron star. We discuss the gravitational waves that are radiated during the brief r-mode driven spin-down phase. We also briefly touch on how the new estimates affects the predicted initial spin periods of hot young neutron stars.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0002114,
title = {R-mode runaway and rapidly rotating neutron stars},
author = {N. Andersson and D. I. Jones and K. D. Kokkotas and N. Stergioulas},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0002114},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
5 pages incl. 2 figures, minor changes, accepted for publication in ApJ Letters