paper

Short-period pulsar oscillations following a glitch

arXiv:1403.1046 · doi:10.1088/0004-637X/789/2/142

Abstract

Following a glitch, the crust and magnetized plasma in the outer core of a neutron star are believed to rapidly establish a state of co-rotation within a few seconds by process analogous to classical Ekman pumping. However, in ideal magnetohydrodynamics, a final state of co-rotation is inconsistent with conservation of energy of the system. We demonstrate that, after the Ekman-like spin up is completed, magneto-inertial waves continue to propagate throughout the star, exciting torsional oscillations in the crust and plasma. The crust oscillation is irregular and quasi-periodic, with a dominant frequency of the order of seconds. Crust oscillations commence after an Alfvén crossing time, approximately half a minute at the magnetic pole, and are subsequently damped by the electron viscosity over approximately an hour. In rapidly rotating stars, the magneto-inertial spectrum in the core approaches a continuum, and crust oscillations are damped by resonant absorption analogous to quasi-periodic oscillations in magnetars. The oscillations predicted are unlikely to be observed in timing data from existing radio telescopes, but may be visible to next generation telescope arrays.

arXiv comment38 Pages, 8 Figures, accepted to the Astrophysical Journal

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