Vibrational stability of stars in thermal imbalance

In the first part of this paper, we set up a general formulation of kinematic stability coefficients . We show that the signature of cannot statisfactorily be correlated with the vibrational stability of stars in thermal imbalance.The second part of this paper is devoted to the analysis of the intuitive concept of vibrational stability. Our discussion leads us to identify this notion with Lyapunov's asymptotic stability. We introduce a thermodynamic technique of Lyapunov function construction. The relevance and feasibility of our method is illustrated by applying the procedure to supermassive stars in contraction along the Hayashi line. We analytically show that these stars are vibrationally unstable.     

Vibrational stability of stars in thermal imbalance

We discuss, in general, the problem of deriving a vibrational stability coefficient of stars in thermal imbalance on the basis of an energy principle.The damped harmonic oscillator with variable spring constant provides a typical illustration of the problem. In fact, for systems with variable parameters (as evolving stars), the vibrational stability coefficients, defined respectively in terms of the behaviour of the small displacement and of the total pulsation energy, are basically different. Davey and Cox's so-called modified energy method, proposed in order to recover the small displacement stability coefficient, is also shown to be unsatisfactory.The use of results obtained in the first two papers by asymptotic methods yields a simple compact general expression for the vibrational stability coefficient relative to the pulsation energy of arbitrary evolving stars. This allows the easy recovery of results obtained by more complicated approaches due to Kato and Unno, Simon and Sastri and Axel and Perkins, valid only in particular cases.     

Vibrational stability of the rotating Roche model

The aim of the first part of this investigation will be to establish the explicit form of the linearized systems of differential equations governing arbitrary oscillations (of amplitudes small enough for their squares and higher powers to be negligible) of the rotating Roche model in Clairaut's coordinates (in which their radial component is identified with the total potential). By solving these equations in a closed form we shall prove that this model is incapable of performing such oscillations (for any type of symmetry) about equipotential surfaces representing the figures of equilibrium, as soon as the centrifugal force will cause their equilibrium form to depart from a sphere.In the second part of this paper we shall set up the closed forms of the Laplace equation in Clairaut (non-orthogonal) as well as Roche (orthogonal) coordinates associated with the rotating Roche model; and by a construction of their solution establish successively the explicit forms of the respective harmonic functions associated with such figures (as a generalization of Legendre functions which are similarly associated with a sphere.     

On secular stability of rapidly rotating stars of arbitrary structure

The aim of the present paper will be to utilize Poincaré's criteria to investigate secular stability of self-gravitating configurations, of arbitrary structure, in the state of rapid rotation. The potential energy, a knowledge of which is necessary for application of these criteria, will be determined by an extension of Clairaut's method; and its evaluation in terms of suitably chosen generalized coordinates carried out explicitly to quantities of fourth order in superficial oblateness, for configurations of arbitrary internal structure.The method employed can, moreover, clearly be extended to attain accuracy of any order — at the expense of mere manipulative work which lends itself to machine automation; and the angular velocity of axial rotation can be an arbitrary function of position as well as of the time. An application of our results to homogeneous configurations in rigig-body rotation will be undertaken to demonstrate that our method, when applied to a case for which a closed solution exists, leads to results which are consistent with it.     

Slowly rotating relativistic stars

Equations are given which determine the moment of inertia of a rotating relativistic fluid star to second order in the angular velocity with no other approximation being made. The equations also determine the moment of inertia of matter located between surfaces of constant density in a rotationally distorted star; for example, the moments of inertia of the crust and core of a rotationally distorted neutron star can be calculated in this way. The method is applied ton=3/2 relativistic polytropes and to neutron star models constructed from the Baym-Bethe-Pethick-Sutherland-Pandharipande equation of state. Supported in part by the National Science Foundation. Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow.     

Vibrational stability of stars in thermal imbalance: A solution in terms of asymptotic expansions

Isentropic oscillations of a star in thermal imbalance are defined as those for which, at every istant, the entropy of each mass element of the configuration in the perturbed motion is equal to that of the same mass element in the unperturbed motion.The solution of the equations describing such isentropic oscillations and written in terms of the infinitesimal displacement r(r ₀,t) is presented in terms of asymptotic expansions up to the first order in the parameter /t _s where is the adiabatic pulsation period for the fundamental mode andt _s , a slow time scale of the order of the Kelvin-Helmholtz time.The solution obtained allows one to define, unambiguously, an isentropic part to the coefficient of vibrational stability of arbitrary stellar models in thermal imbalance, as well as to derive a general formula relating the results of a stability analysis in terms of r and r/r.Application of this general solution to the simple case of homologous motion is also given.     

Vibrational stability of stars in thermal imbalance: A solution in terms of asymptotic expansions

The solution of the partial differential equation describing the ‘non-isentropic’ oscillations of a star in thermal imbalance has been obtained in terms of asymptotic expansions up to the first order in the parameterII/t _s, whereII is the adiabatic pulsation period for the fundamental mode andt _s , a secular time scale of the order of the Kelvin-Helmholtz time. Use has been made of the zeroth order ‘isentopic’ solution derived in I. The solution obtained allows one to derive unambiguously a general integral expression for the coefficient of vibrational stability for arbitrary stellar models in thermal imbalance. The physical interpretation of this stability coefficient is discussed and its generality and its simplicity are stressed. Application to some simple analytic stellar models in homologous and nonhomologous contraction enables one to recover, in a more straightforward manner, results obtained by Coxet al. (1973). Aizenman and Cox (1974) and Davey (1974). Finally, we emphasize that the inclusion of the effects of thermal imbalance in the stability calculations of realistic evolutionary sequences of stellar models, not considered up to now by the other authors, is quite easy and straightforward with the simple formula derived here.     

Meridional circulation in rotating stars

The redistribution of angular momentum caused by the meridional circulation in a rotating Cowling-type star is studied as a nonlinear initial-value problem, employing the first-order perturbation theory and Legendre expansion. The difficulty of the Eddington-Sweet theory, that is, the meridional velocity becomes infinitely large both on the free surface and on the interface between the radiative and convective regions, is removed following Osaki's (1972) or Sakurai's (1975) proposal. The present work shows that the star moves toward the almost circulation free state in the Eddington-Sweet time-scale. However, the resultant almost circulation free state is quite different from the Roxburgh (1964a, b) solution; the random circulation argued by Kippenhahn (1974) never appears.     

Pre-Main-Sequence evolution of rotating low-mass stars

The evolutionary behaviour of rotating low-mass stars in the mass range 0.2 and 0.9M has been investigated during the pre-Main-Sequence phase. The angular momentum is conserved locally in radiative regions and totally in convective regions, according to a predetermined angular velocity distribution depending on the structure of the star. As the stars contract toward the zero-age Main Sequence, they spin up under the assumption that the angular momentum is conserved during the evolution of the stars. When the stars have differential rotations, their inner regions rotate faster than the outer regions. The effective temperatures and luminosities of rotating low-mass stars are obtained lower than those of non-rotating stars. They have lower central temperature and density values compared to those of non-rotating stars.     

Thermal evolution of rotating hybrid stars

As a neutron star spins down, the nuclear matter is continuously converted into quark matter due to the core density increase, and then latent heat is released. We have investigated the thermal evolution of neutron stars undergoing such deconfinement phase transition. We have taken into account the conversion in the frame of the general theory of relativity. The released energy has been estimated as a function of changed rate of deconfinement baryon number. The numerical solutions to the cooling equation are seen to be very different from those without the heating effect. The results show that neutron stars may be heated to higher temperatures which is well matched with pulsar's data despite the onset of fast cooling in neutron stars with quark matter cores. It is also found that the heating effect has a magnetic field strength dependence. This feature could be particularly interesting for high temperatures of low-field millisecond pulsars at a later stage. The high temperature could fit the observed temperature for PSR J0437−4715.     

Envelopes of rapidly rotating neutron stars

Motivated by the discovery of the millisecond pulsars, we consider the effect of rapid rotation on the envelope of a neutron star. Solving the equation of hydrostatic equilibrium we find expressions for the density and oblateness as functions of radius and polar angle.     

Oscillations of rapidly rotating superfluid stars

Using time evolutions of the relevant linearized equations, we study non-axisymmetric oscillations of rapidly rotating and superfluid neutron stars. We consider perturbations of Newtonian axisymmetric background configurations and account for the presence of superfluid components via the standard two-fluid model. Within the Cowling approximation, we are able to carry out evolutions for uniformly rotating stars up to the mass-shedding limit. This leads to the first detailed analysis of superfluid neutron star oscillations in the fast rotation regime, where the star is significantly deformed by the centrifugal force. For simplicity, we focus on background models where the two fluids (superfluid neutrons and protons) corotate, are in β-equilibrium and co-exist throughout the volume of the star. We construct sequences of rotating stars for two analytical model equations of state. These models represent relatively simple generalizations of single fluid, polytropic stars. We study the effects of entrainment, rotation and symmetry energy on non-radial oscillations of these models. Our results show that entrainment and symmetry energy can have a significant effect on the rotational splitting of non-axisymmetric modes. In particular, the symmetry energy modifies the inertial mode frequencies considerably in the regime of fast rotation.     

Interferometric observations of rapidly rotating stars

Optical interferometry provides us with a unique opportunity to improve our understanding of stellar structure and evolution. Through direct observation of rotationally distorted photospheres at sub-milliarcsecond scales, we are now able to characterize latitude dependencies of stellar radius, temperature structure, and even energy transport. These detailed new views of stars are leading to revised thinking in a broad array of associated topics, such as spectroscopy, stellar evolution, and exoplanet detection. As newly advanced techniques and instrumentation mature, this topic in astronomy is poised to greatly expand in depth and influence.     

Meridian circulation in differentially rotating stars

We formulate the first order theory of meridian circulation in radiative zones of approximate chemical homogeneity so as to allow calculation of circulation velocities in a star subject to an arbitrary axially symmetric angular velocity ω(r, θ). The calculation includes circulation due to perturbations in the nuclear burning rate. The formalism agrees with previous calculations relevant to special cases, and assumes maximum simplicity for rotation on cylinders. We find two types of steady state configurations: (1) rotation according to a special class of distributions ω(r, θ) which drive no currents, and (2) rotation according to arbitrary ω(r, θ), but with a correction to the molecular weight μ such that the net circulation velocity is zero. We find that a small μ gradient can quench the circulation in many cases. In particular, we conclude that a large differential rotation in the Sun might have escaped disruption by meridian currents, for a μ stratification of a few parts in 10³.     

Differential rotation on rapidly rotating stars

Theories of meridional circulation and differential rotation in stellar convective zones predict trends in surface flow patterns on main-sequence stars that are amenable to direct observational testing. Here I summarise progress made in the last few years in determining surface differential rotation patterns on rapidly-rotating young main-sequence stars of spectral types F, G, K and M. Differential rotation increases strongly with increasing effective temperature along the main sequence. The shear rate appears to increase with depth in the sub-photospheric layers. Tidal locking in close binaries appears to suppress differential rotation, but better statistics are needed before this conclusion can be trusted. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Quasi-toroidal oscillations in rotating relativistic stars

Quasi-toroidal oscillations in slowly rotating stars are examined within the framework of general relativity. Unlike the Newtonian case, the oscillation frequency to first order of the rotation rate is not a single value, even for uniform rotation. All the oscillation frequencies of the r -modes are purely neutral and form a continuous spectrum limited to a certain range. The allowed frequencies are determined by the resonance condition between the perturbation and the background mean flow. The resonant frequency varies with the radius according to the general relativistic dragging effect.