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Friday, 23 March 2007, 12:30 in P8445B
Prof. Ira Wasserman (Cornell)
Dynamics of the r mode instability of neutron stars
One of the most important questions in high energy astrophysics is what sets the fastest possible rotational frequencies of neutron stars. Although requiring stability against rotational mass shedding set absolute upper bounds, for most equations of state these seem to be well above the fastest observed rotational frequencies. The r-mode -- a Rossby wave in a rotating fluid -- is destabilized via the emission of gravitational radiation in neutron stars at rotation rates below the absolute upper bounds. This talk will treat the important topic of how the instability saturates, which determines whether gravitational radiation is detectable from neutron stars suffering from this instability. Moreover, the question of whether the instability is ``too strong'' will also be discussed -- and what that might mean for neutron star physics.
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Modified by Andrei Frolov <frolov@sfu.ca> on 2023-11-01