# Gravitational wave content and stability of uniformly, rotating, triaxial neutron stars in general relativity

## TL;DR

This study simulates uniformly rotating, triaxially deformed neutron stars in general relativity to assess their stability and gravitational wave emission, finding they are dynamically stable and evolve towards axisymmetry.

## Contribution

It provides the first detailed evolution analysis of triaxial neutron stars in general relativity, including stability and gravitational wave predictions.

## Key findings

- All models are dynamically stable.
- Stars emit gravitational waves with strain about one-tenth that of binary mergers.
- Stars evolve towards axisymmetry while maintaining rotation and energy profiles.

## Abstract

Targets for ground-based gravitational wave interferometers include continuous, quasiperiodic sources of gravitational radiation, such as isolated, spinning neutron stars. In this work we perform evolution simulations of uniformly rotating, triaxially deformed stars, the compressible analogues in general relativity of incompressible, Newtonian Jacobi ellipsoids. We investigate their stability and gravitational wave emission. We employ five models, both normal and supramassive, and track their evolution with different grid setups and resolutions, as well as with two different evolution codes. We find that all models are dynamically stable and produce a strain that is approximately one-tenth the average value of a merging binary system. We track their secular evolution and find that all our stars evolve towards axisymmetry, maintaining their uniform rotation, kinetic energy, and angular momentum profiles while losing their triaxiality.