Mountain formation by repeated, inhomogeneous crustal failure in a neutron star

The elastic crust of a neutron star fractures repeatedly as it spins down electromagnetically. An idealized, macroscopic model of inhomogeneous crustal failure is presented based on a cellular automaton with nearest-neighbour tectonic interactions involving strain redistribution and thermal dissipation. Predictions are made of the size and waiting-time distributions of failure events, as well as the rate of failure as the star spins down. The last failure event typically occurs when the star spins down to approximate to 1 per cent of its birth frequency with implications for rotational glitch activity. Neutron stars are commonly suggested as sources of continuous gravitational waves. The output of the automaton is converted into predictions of the star's mass ellipticity and gravitational wave strain as functions of its age, with implications for future observations with instruments such as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO).

Automated summary

This article presents a macroscopic model of inhomogeneous crustal failure in neutron stars, with predictions on the size and waiting-time distributions of failure events as well as the rate of failure as the star spins down. The output of the model is used to predict the star's mass ellipticity and gravitational wave strain as functions of its age, with implications for future observations with instruments such as LIGO.