arXiv subjects

Nils Andersson

Publications and source records attributed to Nils Andersson.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2003

The oscillation and stability of differentially rotating spherical shells: The normal mode problem

An understanding of the dynamics of differentially rotating systems is key to many areas of astrophysics. We investigate the oscillations of a simple system exhibiting differential rotation, and discuss issues concerning the role of corotation points and the emergence of dynamical instabilities. This problem is of particular relevance to the emission of gravitational waves from oscillating neutron stars, which are expected to possess significant differential rotation immediately after birth or binary merger.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2001

Non-linear radial oscillations of neutron stars: Mode-coupling results

The non-linear behaviour of oscillation modes in compact stars is a topic of considerable current interest. Accurate numerical studies of such phenomena are likely to require powerful new approaches to both fluid and spacetime computations. We propose that a key ingredient of such methods will be the non-linear evolution of deviations from the background stationary equilibrium star. We investigate the feasibility of this approach by applying it to non-linear radial oscillations of a neutron star, and explore numerically various non-linear features of this problem, for a large range of amplitudes. Quadratic and higher order mode coupling and non-linear transfer of energy is demonstrated and analysed in detail.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2001

Oscillation and Instabilities of Relativistic Stars

In this short review we discuss the relevance of ongoing research into stellar oscillations and associated instabilities for the detection of gravitational waves and the future field of ``gravitational-wave astronomy''.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2000

The rotational modes of relativistic stars: Analytic results

We study the r-modes and rotational ``hybrid'' modes of relativistic stars. As in Newtonian gravity, the spectrum of low-frequency rotational modes is highly sensitive to the stellar equation of state. If the star and its perturbations obey the same one-parameter equation of state (as with isentropic stars), there exist {\it no pure r-modes at all} - no modes whose limit, for a star with zero angular velocity, is an axial-parity perturbation. Rotating stars of this kind similarly have no pure g-modes, no modes whose spherical limit is a perturbation with polar parity and vanishing perturbed pressure and density. We compute the post-Newtonian corrections to the $l=m$ r-modes of isentropic and non-isentropic uniform density stars.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1999

A superradiance resonance cavity outside rapidly rotating black holes

We discuss the late-time behaviour of a dynamically perturbed Kerr black hole. We present analytic results for near extreme Kerr black holes that show that the large number of virtually undamped quasinormal modes that exist for nonzero values of the azimuthal eigenvalue m combine in such a way that the field oscillates with an amplitude that decays as 1/t at late times. This prediction is verified using numerical time-evolutions of the Teukolsky equation. We argue that the observed behaviour may be relevant for astrophysical black holes, and that it can be understood in terms of the presence of a ``superradiance resonance cavity'' immediately outside the black hole.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1999

Construction of Astrophysical Initial Data for Perturbations of Relativistic Stars

We develop a framework for constructing initial data sets for perturbations about spherically symmetric matter distributions. This framework facilitates setting initial data representing astrophysical sources of gravitational radiation involving relativistic stars. The procedure is based on Lichnerowicz-York's conformal approach to solve the constraints in Einstein's equations. The correspondence of these initial data sets in terms of the standard gauge perturbation variables in the Regge-Wheeler perturbation variables is established, and examples of initial data sets of merging neutron stars under the close-limit approximation are presented.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1998

On the relevance of the r-mode instability for accreting neutron stars and white dwarfs

We present a case study for the relevance of the r-mode instability for accreting compact stars. Our estimates are based on approximations that facilitate back-of-the-envelope calculations. We discuss two different cases: 1) For recycled millisecond pulsars we argue that the r-mode instability may be active at rotation periods longer than the Kepler period (which provides the dynamical limit on rotation) as long as the core temperature is larger than about $2\times10^5$ K. Our estimates suggest that the instability may have played a role in the evolution of the fastest spinning pulsars, and that it may be presently active in the recently discovered 2.49 ms X-ray pulsar SAX J1808.4-3658 as well as the rapidly spinning neutron stars observed in low mass X-ray binaries. This provides a new explanation for the remarkably similar rotation periods inferred from kHz quasi-periodic oscillations in the LMXBs. The possibility that the rotation of recycled pulsars may be gravitational-radiation limited is interesting because the gravitational waves from a neutron star rotating at the instability limit may well be detectable with the new generation of interferometric detectors. 2) We also consider white dwarfs, and find that the r-mode instability may possibly be active in short period white dwarfs. Our order of magnitude estimates (for a white dwarf of $M=M_\odot$ and $R=0.01 R_\odot$ composed of $C^{12}$) show that the instability could be operating for rotational periods shorter than $P\approx 27-33$ s. This number is in interesting agreement with the observed periods ($>28$ s) of the rapidly spinning DQ Herculis stars. However, we find that the instability grows too slowly to affect the rotation of these stars significantly .

astro-ph↗

arXiv1998

Gravitational radiation limit on the spin of young neutron stars

A newly discovered instability in rotating neutron stars, driven by gravitational radiation reaction acting on the stars' $r$-modes, is shown here to set an upper limit on the spin rate of young neutron stars. We calculate the timescales for growth of linear perturbations due to gravitational radiation reaction, and for dissipation by shear and bulk viscosity, working to second order in a slow-rotation expansion within a Newtonian polytropic stellar model. The results are very temperature-sensitive: in hot neutron stars ($T>10^9$ K), the lowest-order $r$-modes are unstable, while in colder stars they are damped by viscosity. These calculations have a number of interesting astrophysical implications. First, the $r$-mode instability will spin down a newly born neutron star to a period close to the initial period inferred for the Crab pulsar, probably between 10 and 20 ms. Second, as an initially rapidly rotating star star spins down, an energy equivalent to roughly 1% of a solar mass is radiated as gravitational waves, which makes the process an interesting source for detectable gravitational waves. Third, the $r$-mode instability rules out the scenario whereby millisecond pulsars are formed by accretion-induced collapse of a white dwarf: the new star would be hot enough to spin down to much slower rates.

astro-ph↗

arXiv1998

Gravitational waves from hot young rapidly rotating neutron stars

Gravitational radiation drives an instability in the r-modes of young rapidly rotating neutron stars. This instability is expected to carry away most of the angular momentum of the star by gravitational radiation emission, leaving a star rotating at about 100 Hz. In this paper we model in a simple way the development of the instability and evolution of the neutron star during the year-long spindown phase. This allows us to predict the general features of the resulting gravitational waveform. We show that a neutron star formed in the Virgo cluster could be detected by the LIGO and VIRGO gravitational wave detectors when they reach their ``enhanced'' level of sensitivity, with an amplitude signal-to-noise ratio that could be as large as about 8 if near-optimal data analysis techniques are developed. We also analyze the stochastic background of gravitational waves produced by the r-mode radiation from neutron-star formation throughout the universe. Assuming a substantial fraction of neutron stars are born with spin frequencies near their maximum values, this stochastic background is shown to have an energy density of about 10^-9 of the cosmological closure density, in the range 20 Hz to 1 kHz. This radiation should be detectable by ``advanced'' LIGO as well.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1998

Dynamics of scalar fields in the background of rotating black holes II: A note on superradiance

We analyze the amplification due to so-called superradiance from the scattering of pulses off rotating black holes as a numerical time evolution problem. We consider the "worst possible case" of scalar field pulses for which superradiance effects yield amplifications $< 1%$. We show that this small effect can be isolated by numerically evolving quasi-monochromatic, modulated pulses with a recently developed Teukolsky code. The results show that it is possible to study superradiance in the time domain, but only if the initial data is carefully tuned. This illustrates the intrinsic difficulties of detecting superradiance in more general evolution scenarios.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1997

Towards gravitational-wave asteroseismology

We present new results for pulsating neutron stars. We have calculated the eigenfrequencies of the modes that one would expect to be the most important gravitational-wave sources: the fundamental fluid f-mode, the first pressure p-mode and the first gravitational-wave w-mode, for twelve realistic equations of state. From this numerical data we have inferred a set of ``empirical relations'' between the mode-frequencies and the parameters of the star (the radius R and the mass M). Some of these relation prove to be surprisingly robust, and we show how they can be used to extract the details of the star (radius, mass, eos) from observed modes with errors no larger than a few percent.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1997

A new class of unstable modes of rotating relativistic stars

The first numerical study of axial (toroidal) pulsation modes of a slowly rotating relativistic star is presented. The calculation includes terms of first order in $ε\equiv Ω\sqrt{R^3/M}<<1$ ($R$ is the radius, $M$ is the mass and $Ω$ is the rotation frequency of the star), and accounts for effects due to the coriolis force. Effects due to the centrifugal flattening of the star enter at order $ε^2$ and are not included in the analysis. It is shown that increased rotation tends to decrease the damping times for prograde modes, while retrograde become longer lived. Specifically, we show that rotation affects the axial gravitational-wave $w$-modes in this way. We also present the first relativistic calculation of the so-called $r$-modes (analogous to Rossby waves in the Earth's oceans). These have frequencies of the same order of magnitude as the rotation frequency of the star. The presented results indicate that the $r$-modes are unstable due to the emission of gravitational radiation for \underline{all} rotating perfect fluid stars. This is interesting since the previously considered gravitational-wave instability associated with (for example) the $f$-mode of the star sets in at a critical rotation rate. Because they are unstable also for the slowest rotating stars the $r$-modes may well be of considerable astrophysical importance.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1997

Pulsation modes for increasingly relativistic polytropes

We present the results of a numerical study of the fluid $f$, $p$ and the gravitational $w$ modes for increasingly relativistic nonrotating polytropes. The results for $f$ and $w$-modes are in good agreement with previous data for uniform density stars, which supports an understanding of the nature of the gravitational wave modes based on the uniform density data. We show that the $p$-modes can become extremely long-lived for some relativistic stars. This effect is attributed to the change in the perturbed density distribution as the star becomes more compact.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1997

Gravitational waves from pulsating stars: Evolving the perturbation equations for a relativistic star

We consider the perturbations of a relativistic star as an initial-value problem. Having discussed the formulation of the problem (the perturbation equations and the appropriate boundary conditions at the centre and the surface of the star) in detail we evolve the equations numerically from several different sets of initial data. In all the considered cases we find that the resulting gravitational waves carry the signature of several of the star's pulsation modes. Typically, the fluid $f$-mode, the first two $p$-modes and the slowest damped gravitational $w$-mode are present in the signal. This indicates that the pulsation modes may be an interesting source for detectable gravitational waves from colliding neutron stars or supernovae. We also survey the literature and find several indications of mode presence in numerical simulations of rotating core collapse and coalescing neutron stars. If such mode-signals can be detected by future gravitational-wave antennae one can hope to infer detailed information about neutron stars. Since a perturbation evolution should adequately describe the late time behaviour of a dynamically excited neutron star, the present work can also be used as a bench-mark test for future fully nonlinear simulations.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1996

Gravitational waves and pulsating stars: What can we learn from future observations?

We present new results for pulsating stars in general relativity. First we show that the so-called gravitational-wave modes of a neutron star can be excited when a gravitational wave impinges on the star. Numerical simulations suggest that the modes may be astrophysically relevant, and we discuss whether they will be observable with future gravitational-wave detectors. We also discuss how such observations could lead to estimates of both the radius and the mass of a neutron star, and thus put constraints on the nuclear equation of state.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1996

Evolving test-fields in a black-hole geometry

We consider the initial value problem for a massless scalar field in the Schwarzschild geometry. When constructed using a complex-frequency approach the necessary Green's function splits into three components. We discuss all of these in some detail: 1) The contribution from the singularities (the quasinormal modes of the black hole) is approximated and the mode-sum is demonstrated to converge after a certain well defined time in the evolution. A dynamic description of the mode-excitation is introduced and tested. 2) It is shown how a straightforward low-frequency approximation to the integral along the branch cut in the black-hole Green's function leads to the anticipated power-law fall off at very late times. We also calculate higher order corrections to this tail and show that they provide an important complement to the leading order. 3) The high-frequency problem is also considered. We demonstrate that the combination of the obtained approximations for the quasinormal modes and the power-law tail provide a complete description of the evolution at late times. Problems that arise (in the complex-frequency picture) for early times are also discussed, as is the fact that many of the presented results generalize to, for example, Kerr black holes.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1996

Quasinormal modes of nearly extreme Reissner-Nordstrom black holes

We present detailed calculations of the quasinormal modes of Reissner-Nordstrom black holes. While the first few, slowly damped, modes depend on the charge of the black hole in a relatively simple way, we find that the rapidly damped modes show several peculiar features. The higher modes generally spiral into the value for the extreme black hole as the charge increases. We also discuss the possible existence of a purely imaginary mode for the Schwarzschild black hole: Our data suggest that there is a quasinormal mode that limits to $ωM = -2i$ as $Q\to 0$.

gr-qc↗

arXiv1996

Spacetime modes of relativistic stars

The problem of relativistic stellar pulsations is studied in a somewhat ad hoc approximation that ignores all fluid motions. This {\em Inverse Cowling Approximation} (ICA) is motivated by two observations: 1) For highly damped ($w$-mode) oscillations the fluid plays very little role. 2) If the fluid motion is neglected the problem for polar oscillation modes becomes similar to that for axial modes. Using the ICA we find a polar mode spectrum that has all features of the $w$-mode spectrum of the full problem. Moreover, in the limit of superdense stars, we find the ICA spectrum to be qualitatively similar to that of the axial modes. These results clearly show the importance of general relativity for the pulsation modes of compact stars, and that there are modes whose existence do not depend on motions of the fluid at all; pure ``spacetime'' modes.

gr-qc↗