Merger-inspired rotation laws and the low-T/W instability in neutron stars

Abstract

ABSTRACTImplementing a family of differential rotation laws inspired by binary neutron-star merger remnants, we consider the impact of the rotation profile on the low-T/W instability. We use time evolutions of the linearized dynamical equations, in Newtonian gravity, to study non-axisymmetric oscillations and identify the unstable modes. The presence and evolution of the low-T/W instability is monitored with the canonical energy and angular momentum, while the growth time is extracted from the evolved kinetic energy. The results for the new rotation laws highlight similarities with the commonly considered j-constant law. The instability sets in when an oscillation mode corotates with the star (i.e. whenever there is a point at which the mode’s pattern speed matches the bulk angular velocity) and grows faster deep inside the co-rotation region. However, the new profiles add features, like an additional co-rotation point, to the problem, and these affect the onset of instability. The rotation laws have the most drastic influence on the oscillation frequencies of the l = m = 2 f mode in fast-rotating models, but affect the instability growth time at some level for any rotation rate. We also identify models where the low-T/W instability appears to be triggered by inertial modes. We discuss to what extent the inferred qualitative behaviour is likely to be of observational relevance.