Stability and collapse of rapidly rotating, supramassive neutron stars: 3D simulations in general relativity

Abstract

We perform 3D numerical simulations in full general relativity to study the stability of rapidly rotating, supramassive neutron stars at the mass-shedding limit to dynamical collapse. We adopt an adiabatic equation of state with $\ensuremath{\Gamma}=2$ and focus on uniformly rotating stars. We find that the onset of dynamical instability along mass-shedding sequences nearly coincides with the onset of secular instability. Unstable stars collapse to rotating black holes within about one rotation period. We also study the collapse of stable stars which have been destabilized by pressure depletion (e.g., via a phase transition) or mass accretion. In no case do we find evidence for the formation of massive disks or any ejecta around the newly formed Kerr black holes, even though the progenitors are rapidly rotating.