Bulk viscosity in kaon condensed matter

Abstract

We investigate the effect of $K^{-}$ condensed matter on bulk viscosity and r-mode instability in neutron stars. The bulk viscosity coefficient due to the non-leptonic process $n\rightleftharpoons p+K^{-}$ is studied here. In this connection, equations of state are constructed within the framework of relativistic field theoretical models where nucleon-nucleon and kaon-nucleon interactions are mediated by the exchange of scalar and vector mesons. We find that the bulk viscosity coefficient due to the non-leptonic weak process in the condensate is suppressed by several orders of magnitude. Consequently, kaon bulk viscosity may not damp the r-mode instability in neutron stars.

LaTeX, 32 pages, 9 figures; two tables and one new figure are added; some figures are modified and discussed in section III; version to appear in Phys. Rev. D