Abstract
We calculate stationary configurations of rapidly rotating compact stars in general relativity, to study the properties of circular orbits of test particles in the equatorial plane. We search for simple, but precise, analytical formulae for the orbital frequency, specific angular momentum and binding energy of a test particle, valid for any equation of state and for any rotation frequency of the rigidly rotating compact star, up to the mass-shedding limit. Numerical calculations are performed using precise 2-D codes based on multi-domain spectral methods. Models of rigidly rotating neutron stars and the space-time outside them are calculated for several equations of state of dense matter. Calculations are also performed for quark stars consisting of self-bound quark matter. At the mass-shedding limit, the rotational frequency converges to a Schwarzschildian orbital frequency at the equator. We show that orbital frequency for any orbit outside equator is also approximated by a Schwarzschildian formula. Using a simple approximation for the frame-dragging term, we obtain approximate expressions for the specific angular momentum and specific energy on the corotating circular orbits in the equatorial plane of neutron star, which are valid down to the stellar equator. The formulae recover reference numerical values with typically 1% of accuracy for neutron stars with M > 0.5 M_sun. They are less precise for quark stars consisting of self-bound quark matter.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.