Magnetic fields generated by r-modes in accreting millisecond pulsars

In millisecond pulsars the existence of the Coriolis force allows the development of the so-called Rossby oscillations (r-modes) which are know to be unstable to emission of gravitational waves. These instabilities are mainly damped by the viscosity of the star or by the existence of a strong magnetic field. A fraction of the observed millisecond pulsars are known to be inside Low Mass X-ray Binaries (LMXBs), systems in which a neutron star (or a black hole) is accreting from a donor whose mass is smaller than 1 $M_\odot$. Here we show that the r-mode instabilities can generate strong toroidal magnetic fields by inducing differential rotation. In this way we also provide an alternative scenario for the origin of the magnetars.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, Proceedings conference "Theoretical Nuclear Physics", Cortona October 200

Comments on the paper ``Bare Quark Surfacees of Strange Stars and Electron-Positron Pair Emission''

In a recent paper (Ushov, PRL, 80, 230, 1998), it has been claimed that the bare surface of a strange star can emit electron-positron pairs of luminosity \~10^{51} ergs/s for about 10s. If true, obviously, this mechanism may explain the origin of cosmic Gamma Ray Bursts. However, we point out that such a mechanism is does not work because (i) if pair production really occurs the supposed pre-existing supercritical electric field will be quenched and this discharge process may at best release ~10^{24} ergs of electromagnetic energy, and (ii) there is no way by which the trapped core thermal energy of few 10^{52} ergs can be transmitted electromagnetically on a time scale of ~10s or even on a much larger time scale. The only way the hot core can cool on a time scale of ~10 s or much shorter is by the well known process of emission of nu-antinu pairs.Comment: Final version accepted in Phy. Rev. Lett. Main conclusion that the mechanism by Usov does not work remains unchanged, [email protected]

Hyperon bulk viscosity in strong magnetic fields

We study the bulk viscosity of neutron star matter including $\Lambda$ hyperons in the presence of quantizing magnetic fields. Relaxation time and bulk viscosity due to both the non-leptonic weak process involving $\Lambda$ hyperons and direct Urca processes are calculated here. In the presence of a strong magnetic field of $10^{17}$ G, the hyperon bulk viscosity coefficient is reduced whereas bulk viscosity coefficients due to direct Urca processes are enhanced compared with their field free cases when many Landau levels are populated by protons, electrons and muons.Comment: LaTex, 28 pages including 9 figures; new results are discussed in section I

Nucleation of quark matter in neutron stars cores

We consider the general conditions of quark droplets formation in high density neutron matter. The growth of the quark bubble (assumed to contain a sufficiently large number of particles) can be described by means of a Fokker-Planck equation. The dynamics of the nucleation essentially depends on the physical properties of the medium it takes place. The conditions for quark bubble formation are analyzed within the frameworks of both dissipative and non-dissipative (with zero bulk and shear viscosity coefficients) approaches. The conversion time of the neutron star to a quark star is obtained as a function of the equation of state of the neutron matter and of the microscopic parameters of the quark nuclei. As an application of the obtained formalism we analyze the first order phase transition from neutron matter to quark matter in rapidly rotating neutron stars cores, triggered by the gravitational energy released during the spinning down of the neutron star. The endothermic conversion process, via gravitational energy absorption, could take place, in a very short time interval, of the order of few tens seconds, in a class of dense compact objects, with very high magnetic fields, called magnetars.Comment: 31 pages, 2 figures, to appear in Ap

Evidence for a Mid-Atomic-Number Atmosphere in the Neutron Star 1E1207.4-5209

Recently Sanwal et al. (2002) reported the first clear detection of absorption features in an isolated neutron star, 1E1207.4-5209. Remarkably their spectral modeling demonstrates that the atmosphere cannot be Hydrogen. They speculated that the neutron star atmosphere is indicative of ionized Helium in an ultra-strong (~1.5x10^{14} G) magnetic field. We have applied our recently developed atomic model (Mori & Hailey 2002) for strongly-magnetized neutron star atmospheres to this problem. We find that this model, along with some simp le atomic physics arguments, severely constrains the possible composition of the atmosphere. In particular we find that the absorption features are naturally associated with He-like Oxygen or Neon in a magnetic field of ~10^{12} G, comparable to the magnetic field derived from the spin parameters of the neutron star. This interpretation is consistent with the relative line strengths and widths and is robust. Our model predicts possible substructure in the spectral features, which has now been reported by XMM-Newton (Mereghetti et al. 2002). However we show the Mereghetti et al. claim that the atmosphere is Iron or some comparable high-Z element at ~ 10^{12} G is easily ruled out by the Chandra and XMM-Newton data.Comment: 5 pages, AASTeX, Revised version. Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

Neutron star radii and crusts: uncertainties and unified equations of state

The uncertainties in neutron star (NS) radii and crust properties due to our limited knowledge of the equation of state (EOS) are quantitatively analysed. We first demonstrate the importance of a unified microscopic description for the different baryonic densities of the star. If the pressure functional is obtained matching a crust and a core EOS based on models with different properties at nuclear matter saturation, the uncertainties can be as large as $\sim 30\%$ for the crust thickness and $4\%$ for the radius. Necessary conditions for causal and thermodynamically consistent matchings between the core and the crust are formulated and their consequences examined. A large set of unified EOS for purely nucleonic matter is obtained based on 24 Skyrme interactions and 9 relativistic mean-field nuclear parametrizations. In addition, for relativistic models 17 EOS including a transition to hyperonic matter at high density are presented. All these EOS have in common the property of describing a $2\;M_\odot$ star and of being causal within stable NS. A span of $\sim 3$ km and $\sim 4$ km is obtained for the radius of, respectively, $1.0\;M_\odot$ and $2.0\;M_\odot$ star. Applying a set of nine further constraints from experiment and ab-initio calculations the uncertainty is reduced to $\sim 1$ km and $2$ km, respectively. These residual uncertainties reflect lack of constraints at large densities and insufficient information on the density dependence of the EOS near the nuclear matter saturation point. The most important parameter to be constrained is shown to be the symmetry energy slope $L$ which exhibits a linear correlation with the stellar radius, particularly for masses $\sim 1.0\;M_\odot$. Potential constraints on $L$, the NS radius and the EOS from observations of thermal states of NS are also discussed. [Abriged]Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. C. Supplemental material not include

Fusion of neutron rich oxygen isotopes in the crust of accreting neutron stars

Fusion reactions in the crust of an accreting neutron star are an important source of heat, and the depth at which these reactions occur is important for determining the temperature profile of the star. Fusion reactions depend strongly on the nuclear charge $Z$. Nuclei with $Z\le 6$ can fuse at low densities in a liquid ocean. However, nuclei with Z=8 or 10 may not burn until higher densities where the crust is solid and electron capture has made the nuclei neutron rich. We calculate the $S$ factor for fusion reactions of neutron rich nuclei including $^{24}$O + $^{24}$O and $^{28}$Ne + $^{28}$Ne. We use a simple barrier penetration model. The $S$ factor could be further enhanced by dynamical effects involving the neutron rich skin. This possible enhancement in $S$ should be studied in the laboratory with neutron rich radioactive beams. We model the structure of the crust with molecular dynamics simulations. We find that the crust of accreting neutron stars may contain micro-crystals or regions of phase separation. Nevertheless, the screening factors that we determine for the enhancement of the rate of thermonuclear reactions are insensitive to these features. Finally, we calculate the rate of thermonuclear $^{24}$O + $^{24}$O fusion and find that $^{24}$O should burn at densities near $10^{11}$ g/cm$^3$. The energy released from this and similar reactions may be important for the temperature profile of the star.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figs, minor changes, to be published in Phys. Rev.

Microscopic sub-barrier fusion calculations for the neutron star crust

Fusion of very neutron rich nuclei may be important to determine the composition and heating of the crust of accreting neutron stars. Fusion cross sections are calculated using time-dependent Hartree-Fock theory coupled with density-constrained Hartree-Fock calculations to deduce an effective potential. Systems studied include 16O+16O, 16O+24O, 24O+24O, 12C+16O, and 12C+24O. We find remarkable agreement with experimental cross sections for the fusion of stable nuclei. Our simulations use the SLy4 Skyrme force that has been previously fit to the properties of stable nuclei, and no parameters have been fit to fusion data. We compare our results to the simple S\~{a}o Paulo static barrier penetration model. For the asymmetric systems 12C+24O or 16O+24O we predict an order of magnitude larger cross section than those predicted by the S\~{a}o Paulo model. This is likely due to the transfer of neutrons from the very neutron rich nucleus to the stable nucleus and dynamical rearrangements of the nuclear densities during the collision process. These effects are not included in potential models. This enhancement of fusion cross sections, for very neutron rich nuclei, can be tested in the laboratory with radioactive beams.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures, corrected small errors in Figs 10, 11, Phys. Rev. C in pres

Viscous Boundary Layer Damping of R-Modes in Neutron Stars

Recent work has raised the exciting possibility that r-modes (Rossby waves) in rotating neutron star cores might be strong gravitational wave sources. We estimate the effect of a solid crust on their viscous damping rate and show that the dissipation rate in the viscous boundary layer between the oscillating fluid and the nearly static crust is >10^5 times higher than that from the shear throughout the interior. This increases the minimum frequency for the onset of the gravitational r-mode instability to at least 500 Hz when the core temperature is less than 10^10 K. It eliminates the conflict of the r-mode instability with the accretion-driven spin-up scenario for millisecond radio pulsars and makes it unlikely that the r-mode instability is active in accreting neutron stars. For newborn neutron stars, the formation of a solid crust shortly after birth affects their gravitational wave spin-down and hence detectability by ground-based interferometric gravitational wave detectors