Detecting superfluid transition in the pulsar core

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Bagchi, Partha, Layek, Biswanath, Saini, Dheeraj, Sarkar, Anjishnu, Srivastava, Ajit M., Venkata, Deepthi Godaba
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2024
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author Bagchi, Partha
Layek, Biswanath
Saini, Dheeraj
Sarkar, Anjishnu
Srivastava, Ajit M.
Venkata, Deepthi Godaba
author_facet Bagchi, Partha
Layek, Biswanath
Saini, Dheeraj
Sarkar, Anjishnu
Srivastava, Ajit M.
Venkata, Deepthi Godaba
contents It is believed that the core of a neutron star can be host to various novel phases of matter, from nucleon superfluid phase to exotic high baryon density quantum chromodynamics (QCD) phases. Different observational signals for such phase transitions have been discussed in the literature. Here, we point out a unique phenomenon associated with phase transition to a superfluid phase, which may be the nucleon superfluid phase or a phase like the CFL phase, allowing for superfluid vortices. In any superfluid phase transition, a random network of vortices forms via the so-called Kibble-Zurek mechanism, which eventually mostly decays away, finally leaving primarily vortices arising from the initial angular momentum of the core. This transient, random vortex network can have a non-zero net angular momentum for the superfluid component, which will generally be oriented in an arbitrary direction. This is in contrast to the final vortices, which arise from initial rotation and hence have the initial angular momentum of the neutron star. The angular momentum of the random vortex network is balanced by an equal and opposite angular momentum in the normal fluid due to the conservation of angular momentum, thereby imparting an arbitrarily oriented angular momentum component to the outer shell of the neutron star. This will affect the pulse timing and pulse profile of a pulsar. These changes in the pulses will decay away in a characteristic manner such that the random vortex network decays, obeying specific scaling laws leading to universal features for the detection of superfluid transitions occurring in a pulsar core.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2403_11539
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Detecting superfluid transition in the pulsar core
Bagchi, Partha
Layek, Biswanath
Saini, Dheeraj
Sarkar, Anjishnu
Srivastava, Ajit M.
Venkata, Deepthi Godaba
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
Nuclear Theory
It is believed that the core of a neutron star can be host to various novel phases of matter, from nucleon superfluid phase to exotic high baryon density quantum chromodynamics (QCD) phases. Different observational signals for such phase transitions have been discussed in the literature. Here, we point out a unique phenomenon associated with phase transition to a superfluid phase, which may be the nucleon superfluid phase or a phase like the CFL phase, allowing for superfluid vortices. In any superfluid phase transition, a random network of vortices forms via the so-called Kibble-Zurek mechanism, which eventually mostly decays away, finally leaving primarily vortices arising from the initial angular momentum of the core. This transient, random vortex network can have a non-zero net angular momentum for the superfluid component, which will generally be oriented in an arbitrary direction. This is in contrast to the final vortices, which arise from initial rotation and hence have the initial angular momentum of the neutron star. The angular momentum of the random vortex network is balanced by an equal and opposite angular momentum in the normal fluid due to the conservation of angular momentum, thereby imparting an arbitrarily oriented angular momentum component to the outer shell of the neutron star. This will affect the pulse timing and pulse profile of a pulsar. These changes in the pulses will decay away in a characteristic manner such that the random vortex network decays, obeying specific scaling laws leading to universal features for the detection of superfluid transitions occurring in a pulsar core.
title Detecting superfluid transition in the pulsar core
topic High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
Nuclear Theory
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.11539