We compute the bulk viscosity of a mixed quark-hadron phase. In the first
scenario to be discussed, the mixed phase occurs at large densities and we
assume that it is composed of a mixing of hyperonic matter and quarks in the
Color Flavor Locked phase. In a second scenario, the mixed phase occurs at
lower densities and it is composed of a mixing of nucleons and unpaired quark
matter. We have also investigated the effect of a non-vanishing surface tension
at the interface between hadronic and quark matter. In both scenarios, the bulk
viscosity is large when the surface tension is absent, while the value of the
viscosity reduces in the second scenario when a finite value for the surface
tension is taken into account. In all cases, the r-mode instabilities of the
corresponding hybrid star are suppressed.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, extended version in print on Phys.Rev.