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Vorticity affects the stability of neutron stars
1Relativity and Cosmology Group, Division of Mathematics and Statistics, Portsmouth University, Portsmouth PO1 2EG, United Kingdom and Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences, Zanjan 45195, Iran.
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.