F-mode Oscillations of Neutron Stars with Dark Matter from Neutron Decay: Implications for Gravitational-Wave Detectability

TL;DR

This paper investigates how dark matter from neutron decay affects neutron star oscillations and gravitational-wave signals, proposing that future detectors could test dark matter properties and neutron decay scenarios.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive analysis of neutron star oscillations considering dark matter from neutron decay and demonstrates potential gravitational-wave signatures for probing dark matter physics.

Findings

Dark matter self-interactions stiffen the neutron star EoS.

Universal relations exist for f-mode frequencies and damping times in certain models.

Gravitational-wave signals from neutron decay scenarios could be detectable by next-generation detectors.

Abstract

In this study, the impact of neutron decay into dark matter and various dark matter self-interaction strengths on neutron star properties have been explored. Using the quark-meson coupling (QMC) model for nucleon-only equations of state (EoSs), the effects of different matter compositions have been compared, including strange matter and self-interacting dark matter. The results demonstrate that increasing DM-DM self-repulsion stiffens the EoS, influencing the mass-radius relationship and stability of neutron stars. Furthermore, fundamental mode (f-mode) oscillations have been analyzed, which serve as a diagnostic tool for probing neutron star interiors. The f-mode frequencies follow universal relations, reinforcing their applicability for constraining dense matter properties. It has been shown that neutron stars composed of nucleons-only and self-interacting dark matter exhibit a universal behavior in damping time and angular frequency, whereas strange matter and non-self-interacting dark matter deviate from this trend. Importantly, it has been shown that for a GW energy release of E = 10^{52} erg and a source distance of 25 Mpc, the characteristic strain and signal-to-noise ratio exceed the ET-D sensitivity threshold below 2.1 kHz for all models except the non-interacting DM case, demonstrating that neutron-to-dark matter decay scenarios, including the role of DM self-interactions, can be tested through next-generation gravitational-wave asteroseismology, offering a new probe of DM physics and the neutron lifetime anomaly.