2012/12/31 by Cristina Manuel, Laura Tolós, Laura Tolos
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Condensed matter physics #Dissipative system #Electron #Geophysics and Sensor Technology #Instability #Materials science #Mechanics #Neutron star #Nuclear physics #Phonon #Physics #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #Quantum mechanics #Seismic Waves and Analysis #Shear (geology) #Superfluidity #Viscosity #astro-ph.SR #nucl-th
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevd.88.043001
16 pages, 5 figures, version to be published in Physical Review D
arxiv created 2013/07/23 · openalex publication_date 2013/08/05 · arxiv updated 2013/08/14 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We analyze how recent computations of the shear viscosity \ensuremathη in the core of superfluid neutron stars affect the r-mode instability window. We first analyze the contribution of superfluid phonons to the viscosity, both in their hydrodynamical and ballistic regime. We also consider the recent computation of \ensuremathη arising from the collisions of electrons with electrons and protons by Shternin and Yakovlev, and discuss how the interactions among superfluid phonons and electrons might contribute to the shear viscosity. For assessing the r-mode instability window we compare the shear viscosity due to phonons in the hydrodynamical regime with respect to the shear viscosity due to electron collisions. Only at high temperatures the superfluid phonon contribution to \ensuremathη starts to dominate the process of r-mode damping. While our results for the instability window are preliminary, as other dissipative processes should be taken into account as well, they differ from previous evaluations of the r-mode damping due to the shear viscosity in superfluid neutron stars.