Phase transitions in rotating neutron stars cores: Back bending, stability, corequakes, and pulsar timing

Abstract

Aims. We analyze potentially observable phenomena during spin evolution of isolated pulsars, such as back bending and corequakes resulting from instabilities, which could result from phase transitions in neutron star cores. Methods. We study these aspects of spin evolution of isolated compact stars by means of analytical models of equations of state, for both constant-pressure phase transitions and the transitions through the mixed-phase region. We use high-precision 2-D multi-domain spectral code LORENE for the calculation of the evolutionary sequences of rotating neutron stars. This allows us to search the parameter space for possible instability regions, and possible changes in the stability character of rotating stars with phase transitions in their cores. Results. We determine the conditions on the density jump in constant-pressure phase transitions which leads to the back bending phenomena or to the existence of the unstable segments in the evolutionary sequences of spinning down isolated normal neutron stars. We formulate the conjectures concerning the existence of two disjoint families of non-rotating and rotating stationary configurations of neutron stars. To clarify the effect of rotation on the stability of neutron star we present the particular case of EOSs leading to marginal instability of static and rotating configurations: marginal instability point in non-rotating configurations continues to exist in all evolutionary spin-down tracks. We discuss the fate of rotating stars entering the region of instability calculating the change in radius, energy release, and spin-up associated with the corequake in rotating neutron star, triggered by the instability. The energy release is found to be very weakly dependent on the angular momentum of collapsing star. 10.1051/0004-6361:20054260. © ESO 2006.