Effects of Phase Transition induced density fluctuations on pulsar dynamics

TL;DR

This paper explores how phase transition-induced density fluctuations in pulsar cores can influence pulsar timing, cause glitches, and generate gravitational waves, offering new insights into pulsar internal dynamics.

Contribution

It introduces the idea that density fluctuations during phase transitions affect pulsar dynamics and can be detected through timing and wobbling measurements.

Findings

Density fluctuations cause non-zero off-diagonal moments of inertia.

Transient wobbling correlates with internal phase transitions.

Rapid density changes may produce detectable gravitational waves.

Abstract

We show that density fluctuations during phase transitions in pulsar cores may have non-trivial effects on pulsar timings, and may also possibly account for glitches and anti-glitches. These density fluctuations invariably lead to non-zero off-diagonal components of the moment of inertia, leading to transient wobbling of star. Thus, accurate measurements of pulsar timing and intensity modulations (from wobbling) may be used to identify the specific pattern of density fluctuations, hence the particular phase transition, occurring inside the pulsar core. Changes in quadrupole moment from rapidly evolving density fluctuations during the transition, with very short time scales, may provide a new source for gravitational waves.