Glitches in rotating supersolids

TL;DR

This paper models neutron star glitches as vortex unpinning in supersolids, using quantum simulations to explore the dynamics and properties of these astrophysical phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces a novel analogy between neutron star glitches and dipolar supersolids, providing a new method to study stellar glitches through quantum simulation.

Findings

Vortex dynamics depend on supersolid quality.

The model reproduces observed glitch behaviors.

Provides a new tool for studying neutron star interiors.

Abstract

Glitches, spin-up events in neutron stars, are of prime interest as they reveal properties of nuclear matter at subnuclear densities. We numerically investigate the glitch mechanism due to vortex unpinning using analogies between neutron stars and dipolar supersolids. We explore the vortex and crystal dynamics during a glitch and its dependence on the supersolid quality, providing a tool to study glitches from different radial depths of a neutron star. Benchmarking our theory against neutron star observations, our work will open a new avenue for the quantum simulation of stellar objects from Earth.