2009/07/19 by C. Peralta, A. Melatos · 24 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics #Condensed matter physics #High-pressure geophysics and materials #Layer (electronics) #Materials science #Mathematical physics #Nanotechnology #Neutron star #Physics #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #Quantum electrodynamics #Quantum, superfluid, helium dynamics #Superfluidity #astro-ph.SR
paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/0004-637x/701/2/l75
published in The Astrophysical Journal 701(2), L75-L78 (IOP Publishing) · 4 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ Letters
arxiv created 2009/07/19 · openalex publication_date 2009/07/30 · arxiv updated 2015/05/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Experimental and numerical evidence is reviewed for the existence of a Stewartson layer in spherical Couette flow at small Ekman and Rossby numbers ( E ≲ 10 −3 , Ro ≲ 10 −2 ), the relevant hydrodynamic regime in the superfluid outer core of a neutron star. Numerical simulations of a superfluid Stewartson layer are presented for the first time, showing how the layer is disrupted by nonaxisymmetric instabilities. The unstable ranges of E and Ro are compared with estimates of these quantities in radio pulsars that exhibit glitches. It is found that glitching pulsars lie on the stable side of the instability boundary, allowing differential rotation to build up before a glitch.