Gravitational perturbations of a Kerr black hole in f(R)f(R) gravity

Modified theories of gravity are often built such that they contain general relativity as a limiting case. This inclusion property implies that the Kerr metric is common to many families of theories. For example, all analytic $f(R)$ theories with vanishing constant term admit the Kerr solution. In any given theory, however, the response of the gravitational field to astrophysical disturbances is tied to the structure of the field equations. As such, even if black holes are Kerr, the underlying theory can, in principle, be probed through gravitational distortions. In this paper, we study linear perturbations of a Kerr black hole in $f(R)$ gravity using the Newman-Penrose formalism. We show that, as in general relativity, the equations governing the perturbed metric, which depend on the quadratic term of the function $f$, completely decouple.Comment: 8 pages. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Evolutionary implications of a magnetar interpretation for GLEAM-X J162759.5-523504.3

The radio pulsar GLEAM-X J162759.5-523504.3 has an extremely long spin period (P = 1091.17\, \mbox{s}), and yet seemingly continues to spin down rapidly (\dot{P} < 1.2 \times 10^{-9}\, \mbox{ss}^{-1}). The magnetic field strength that is implied, if the source is a neutron star undergoing magnetic dipole braking, could exceed 10^{16}\,\mbox{G}. This object may therefore be the most magnetised neutron star observed to date. In this paper, a critical analysis of a magnetar interpretation for the source is provided. (i) A minimum polar magnetic field strength of B \sim 5 \times 10^{15}\,\mbox{G} appears to be necessary for the star to activate as a radio pulsar, based on conventional `death valley' assumptions. (ii) Back-extrapolation from magnetic braking and Hall-plastic-Ohm decay suggests that a large angular momentum reservoir was available at birth to support intense field amplification. (iii) The observational absence of X-rays constrains the star's field strength and age, as the competition between heating from field decay and Urca cooling implies a surface luminosity as a function of time. If the object is an isolated, young (\sim 10\, \mbox{kyr}) magnetar with a present-day field strength of B \gtrsim 10^{16}\,\mbox{G}, the upper limit (\approx 10^{30}\, \mbox{erg s}^{-1}) set on its thermal luminosity suggests it is cooling via a direct Urca mechanism.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Measuring spin in coalescing binaries of neutron stars showing double precursors

Gamma-ray bursts resulting from binary neutron-star mergers are sometimes preceded by precursor flares. These harbingers may be ignited by quasi-normal modes, excited by orbital resonances, shattering the stellar crust of one of the inspiralling stars up to $\gtrsim10$ seconds before coalescence. In the rare case that a system displays two precursors, successive overtones of either interface- or $g$-modes may be responsible for the overstrainings. Since the free-mode frequencies of these overtones have an almost constant ratio, and the inertial-frame frequencies for rotating stars are shifted relative to static ones, the spin frequency of the flaring component can be constrained as a function of the equation of state, the binary mass ratio, the mode quantum numbers, and the spin-orbit misalignment angle. As a demonstration of the method, we find that the precursors of GRB090510 hint at a spin frequency range of $2 \lesssim \nu_{\star}/\text{Hz} \lesssim 20$ for the shattering star if we allow for an arbitrary misalignment angle, assuming $\ell=2$ $g$-modes account for the events.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables, with an appendix containing 1 figur

General-relativistic treatment of tidal gg-mode resonances in coalescing binaries of neutron stars. II. As triggers for precursor flares of short gamma-ray bursts

In some short gamma-ray bursts, precursor flares occurring $\sim$ seconds prior to the main episode have been observed. These flares may then be associated with the last few cycles of the inspiral when the orbital frequency is a few hundred Hz. During these final cycles, tidal forces can resonantly excite quasi-normal modes in the inspiralling stars, leading to a rapid increase in their amplitude. It has been shown that these modes can exert sufficiently strong strains onto the neutron star crust to instigate yieldings. Due to the typical frequencies of $g$-modes being $\sim 100\text{ Hz}$, their resonances with the orbital frequency match the precursor timings and warrant further investigation. Adopting realistic equations of state and solving the general-relativistic pulsation equations, we study $g$-mode resonances in coalescing quasi-circular binaries, where we consider various stellar rotation rates, degrees of stratification, and magnetic field structures. We show that for some combination of stellar parameters, the resonantly excited $g_1$- and $g_2$-modes may lead to crustal failure and trigger precursor flares.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables, submitted to MNRA

Magnetic equilibria of relativistic axisymmetric stars: The impact of flow constants

Symmetries and conservation laws associated with the ideal Einstein-Euler system, for stationary and axisymmetric stars, can be utilized to define a set of flow constants. These quantities are conserved along flow lines in the sense that their gradients are orthogonal to the four-velocity. They are also conserved along surfaces of constant magnetic flux, making them powerful tools to identify general features of neutron star equilibria. One important corollary of their existence is that mixed poloidal-toroidal fields are inconsistent with the absence of meridional flows except in some singular sense, a surprising but powerful result first proven by Bekenstein and Oron. In this work, we revisit the flow constant formalism to rederive this result together with several new ones concerning both nonlinear and perturbative magnetic equilibria. Our investigation is supplemented by some numerical solutions for multipolar magnetic fields on top of a Tolman-VII background, where strict power-counting of the flow constants is used to ensure a self-consistent treatment.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures. Minor changes to match published versio

Constraining equation of state groups from gg-mode asteroseismology

Buoyancy-restored modes inside neutron stars depend sensitively on both the microphysical (e.g., composition and entropy gradients) and macrophysical (e.g., stellar mass and radius) properties of the star. Asteroseismology efforts for $g$-modes are therefore particularly promising avenues for recovering information concerning the nuclear equation of state. In this work it is shown that the overall low-temperature $g$-space consists of multiple groups corresponding to different classes of equation of state (e.g., hadronic vs. hybrid). This is in contrast to the case of pressure-driven modes, for example, which tend to follow a universal relation regardless of microphysical considerations. Using a wide library of currently-viable equations of state, perturbations of static, stratified stars are calculated in general relativity to demonstrate in particular how $g$-space groupings can be classified according to the mean mass density, temperature, central speed of sound, and tidal deformability. Considering present and future observations regarding gravitational waves, accretion outbursts, quasi-periodic oscillations, and precursor flashes from gamma-ray bursts, it is shown how one might determine which group the $g$-modes belong to.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, 1 table; accepted by MNRA