Magnetic field amplification by the r-mode instability

TL;DR

This paper investigates how magnetic fields grow due to r-mode instabilities in rotating stars and finds that magnetic back reaction limits field amplification, preventing suppression of the instability at low amplitudes.

Contribution

It provides a new analysis of magnetic back reaction effects on r-mode instability, showing limits on magnetic field growth that differ from previous models.

Findings

Magnetic back reaction limits magnetic field amplification.

R-mode instability is not suppressed by magnetic windup at low amplitudes.

Magnetic energy growth rate is constrained by back reaction effects.

Abstract

We discuss magnetic field enhancement by unstable r-modes (driven by the gravitational radiation reaction force) in rotating stars. In the absence of a magnetic field, gravitational radiation exponentially increases the r-mode amplitude $\alpha$, and accelerates differential rotation (secular motion of fluid elements). For a magnetized star, differential rotation enhances the magnetic field energy. Rezzolla et al. (2000--2001) argued that if the magnetic energy grows faster than the gravitational radiation reaction force pumps energy into the r-modes, then the r-mode instability is suppressed. Chugunov (2015) demonstrated that without gravitational radiation, differential rotation can be treated as a degree of freedom decoupled from the r-modes and controlled by the back reaction of the magnetic field. In particular, the magnetic field windup does not damp r-modes. Here we discuss the effect of the back reaction of the magnetic field on differential rotation of unstable r-modes, and show that it limits the generated magnetic field and the magnetic energy growth rate preventing suppression of the r-mode instability by magnetic windup at low saturation amplitudes, $\alpha \ll 1$, predicted by current models.