Classification of $g$-modes for neutron stars with a strong transition: Novel universal relation including slow stable hybrid stars

Abstract

We investigate the behavior of the non-radial gravity-pulsation discontinuity $g$-mode in neutron stars with a strong first-order phase transition which give rise to hybrid-star configurations. These modes are of utmost relevance since they can be potentially excited in isolated as well as binary neutron star systems in the inspiral phase, thus allowing us to indirectly detect the presence of a deconfinement transition. In order to do this, we consider four categories of hybrid stars that present distinctive features in their equations of state. We employ the constant speed of sound parametrization, which accounts for a sharp phase transition between confined hadronic matter and deconfined quark matter. Then, working within the relativistic Cowling approximation to obtain the frequencies of non-radial oscillations, we find that, depending on the hybrid star category, the relations between discontinuity $g$-mode frequencies and masses as well as tidal deformabilities display a highly distinct behavior across the diverse hybrid star categories that appear in the slow hadron-quark conversion regime. This distinct phenomenology provides smoking-gun evidence to clearly distinguish and further classify hybrid stars with a strong transition from purely hadronic stars using upcoming gravitational-wave data. In addition, we present for each of the categories studied the relation between the $g$-mode frequency and the normalized energy density jump. Finally, we present a novel universal relation for the discontinuity $g$-mode able to encompass the four categories including long branches of slow stable hybrid stars and address its asteroseismological capability.