Continuous Gravitational Waves and Magnetic Monopole Signatures from Single Neutron Stars
PHYSICAL REVIEW D 101, 075028 (2020) Continuous gravitational waves and magnetic monopole signatures from single neutron stars † ‡ P. V. S. Pavan Chandra,1,* Mrunal Korwar,2, and Arun M. Thalapillil 1, 1Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Homi Bhabha Road, Pashan, Pune 411008, India 2Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA (Received 2 December 2019; accepted 1 April 2020; published 15 April 2020) Future observations of continuous gravitational waves from single neutron stars, apart from their monumental astrophysical significance, could also shed light on fundamental physics and exotic particle states. One such avenue is based on the fact that magnetic fields cause deformations of a neutron star, which results in a magnetic-field-induced quadrupole ellipticity. If the magnetic and rotation axes are different, this quadrupole ellipticity may generate continuous gravitational waves which may last decades, and may be observable in current or future detectors. Light, milli-magnetic monopoles, if they exist, could be pair-produced nonperturbatively in the extreme magnetic fields of neutron stars, such as magnetars. This nonperturbative production furnishes a new, direct dissipative mechanism for the neutron star magnetic fields. Through their consequent effect on the magnetic-field-induced quadrupole ellipticity, they may then potentially leave imprints in the early stage continuous gravitational wave emissions. We speculate on this possibility in the present study, by considering some of the relevant physics and taking a very simplified toy model of a magnetar as the prototypical system. Preliminary indications are that new- born millisecond magnetars could be promising candidates to look for such imprints.
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