Vorticity affects the stability of neutron stars

The spin rate Omega of neutron stars at a given temperature T is constraine d by the interplay between gravitational-radiation instabilities and viscou s damping. Navier-Stokes theory has been used to calculate the viscous damp ing time scales and produce a stability curve for r modes in the (Omega,T) plane. In Navier-Stokes theory, viscosity is independent of vorticity, but kinetic theory predicts a coupling of vorticity to the shear viscosity. We calculate this coupling and show that it can in principle significantly mod ify the stability diagram at lower temperatures. As a result, colder stars can remain stable at higher spin rates.