Investigating saturated versus unsaturated driving of stellar modes by gravitational waves
Abstract
Gravitational waves (GWs) emitted by massive black hole binaries (MBHBs) can be absorbed by nearby stars. As a consequence of resonance between the GW frequency and quadrupolar modes in stars, observable changes in luminosity are expected as the star absorbs and subsequently discharges energy. While it has previously been shown that GWs can do work on nearby compact stars, resonant heating of normal stars has not yet been fully explored. By modeling such stars as driven, damped harmonic oscillators, we examine which stars and stellar oscillations can become saturated (versus unsaturated) for physically plausible binary-oscillator pairings. Using such models, we can compute the total energy deposited in any given toy model star. Energy deposition can then be used to compute the luminosity and structural changes expected in realistic stars.
- Publication:
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American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #227
- Pub Date:
- January 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016AAS...22724122B