Prospects for transient gravitational waves at r-mode frequencies associated with pulsar glitches

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential for detecting gravitational waves emitted by r-mode oscillations in neutron stars triggered by pulsar glitches, assessing their detectability with future interferometers.

Contribution

It provides estimates of energy transfer during glitches and evaluates the prospects for observing associated gravitational waves at r-mode frequencies.

Findings

R-modes can be excited by pulsar glitches.

Gravitational waves from these modes may be detectable with future interferometers.

Damping timescales of these oscillations range from minutes to days.

Abstract

Glitches in pulsars are likely to trigger oscillation modes in the fluid interior of neutron stars. We examined these oscillations specifically at r-mode frequencies. The excited r-modes will emit gravitational waves and can have long damping time scales O(minutes - days). We use simple estimates of how much energy the glitch might put into the r-mode and assess the detectability of the emitted gravitational waves with future interferometers.