The enigmatic spin evolution of PSR J0537-6910: r-modes, gravitational waves and the case for continued timing

Abstract

We discuss the unique spin evolution of the young X-ray pulsar PSR J0537-6910, a system in which the regular spin down is interrupted by glitches every few months. Drawing on the complete timing data from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE, from 1999-2011), we argue that a trend in the inter-glitch behaviour points to an effective braking index close to $n=7$, much larger than expected. This value is interesting because it would accord with the neutron star spinning down due to gravitational waves from an unstable r-mode. We discuss to what extent this, admittedly speculative, scenario may be consistent and if the associated gravitational-wave signal would be within reach of ground based detectors. Our estimates suggest that one may, indeed, be able to use future observations to test the idea. Further precision timing would help enhance the achievable sensitivity and we advocate a joint observing campaign between the Neutron Star Interior Composition ExploreR (NICER) and the LIGO-Virgo network.

10 pages, 4 figures, emulate ApJ format

References in corpus (20)

• GW170817: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Neutron Star Inspiral
• Constraining the Mass and Radius of Neutron Stars in Globular Clusters
• Detecting gravitational wave emission from the known accreting neutron stars
• Predicting the Starquakes in PSR J0537-6910
• Tests of the nuclear equation of state and superfluid and superconducting gaps using the Cassiopeia A neutron star
• Searching for gravitational waves from Cassiopeia A with LIGO
• Spinning down newborn neutron stars: nonlinear development of the r-mode instability
• How to adapt broad-band gravitational-wave searches for r-modes
• The Spin Distribution of Fast Spinning Neutron Stars in Low Mass X-Ray Binaries: Evidence for Two Sub-Populations
• The glitch activity of neutron stars
• Spin Evolution of Accreting Neutron Stars: Nonlinear Development of the R-mode Instability
• Pulsar spin-down: the glitch-dominated rotation of PSR J0537-6910
• The soft gamma-ray pulsar population: an high-energy overview
• CHANDRA ACIS Spectroscopy of N157B -- A Young Composite Supernova Remnant in a Superbubble
• R-mode frequencies of slowly rotating relativistic neutron stars with realistic equations of state
• Implications of an r-mode in XTE J1751-305: Mass, radius and spin evolution
• The glitches and rotational history of the highly energetic young pulsar PSR J0537$-$6910
• An Einstein@home search for continuous gravitational waves from Cassiopeia A
• Results of the deepest all-sky survey for continuous gravitational waves on LIGO S6 data running on the Einstein@Home volunteer distributed computing project
• Where Are the r-modes? Chandra Observations of Millisecond Pulsars

Cited by in corpus (26)

• Searches for Continuous-Wave Gravitational Radiation
• Continuous gravitational waves from neutron stars: current status and prospects
• The Science of the Einstein Telescope
• Searches for continuous gravitational waves from neutron stars: A twenty-year retrospective
• Fast Rotating Relativistic Stars: Spectra and Stability without Approximation
• Timing of young radio pulsars II. Braking indices and their interpretation
• Status and perspectives of Continuous Gravitational Wave searches
• Diving below the spin-down limit: Constraints on gravitational waves from the energetic young pulsar PSR J0537-6910
• Glitches in rotating supersolids
• How to search for gravitational waves from $r$-modes of known pulsars
• Return of the Big Glitcher: NICER timing and glitches of PSR J0537-6910
• Timing six energetic rotation-powered X-ray pulsars, including the fast-spinning young PSR J0058-7218 and Big Glitcher PSR J0537-6910
• Glitching pulsars as gravitational wave sources
• What can PSR J1640-4631 tell us about the internal physics of this neutron star?
• Gravitational waves from neutron-star mountains
• Relativistic correction to the r-mode frequency in light of multi-messenger constraints
• Premerger phenomena in neutron-star binary coalescences
• The r-mode instability windows of strange stars
• Universal relations to measure neutron star properties from targeted r-mode searches
• Colloquium: Multimessenger astronomy with continuous gravitational waves and future detectors
• One of Everything: The Breakthrough Listen Exotica Catalog
• Long term evolution of CFS-unstable neutron stars and role of differential rotation on short time-scales
• R-mode instability in compact stars
• Braking index of the frequently glitching PSR J0537$-$6910
• PSR J0537-6910: Exponential recoveries detected for 12 glitches
• Constraints from LIGO O3 data on gravitational-wave emission due to r-modes in the glitching pulsar PSR J0537-6910