Bulk Viscosity from Electroweak Processes and its Impact on the Inspiral and Postmerger Phases of Compact Star Binaries
by
DrJosé Luis Hernández(Universitat de Barcelona)
→
Asia/Shanghai
Description
Abstract:
Bulk viscosity in nuclear and strange quark matter arises from electroweak processes as the system is driven out of chemical equilibrium. This dissipative mechanism plays a crucial role in two distinct astrophysical regimes during the coalescence of compact star binaries. First, during the inspiral phase of strange quark stars, bulk-viscous dissipation leads to tidal heating, which induces a measurable cumulative phase shift in the gravitational waveform. Second, bulk viscosity contributes to the damping of strong internal baryon density oscillations in post-merger remnants. This damping can significantly affect the kilohertz (kHz) gravitational wave emissions, providing a potential signature for next-generation detectors. In this talk, I discuss how bulk viscosity is generated in neutron star matter and its potential impact on gravitational wave radiation from compact star mergers.
