Coupling of radial and axial non-radial oscillations of compact stars: gravitational waves from first-order differential rotation

We investigate the nonlinear coupling between radial and nonradial oscillations of static spherically-symmetric neutron stars as a possible mechanism for the generation of gravitational waves that may lead to observable signatures. In this paper we concentrate on the axial sector of the nonradial perturbations. By using a multiparameter perturbative framework we introduce a complete description of the nonlinear coupling between radial and axial nonradial oscillations; we study the gauge-invariant character of the associated perturbative variables and develop a computational scheme to evolve the nonlinear coupling perturbations in the time domain. We present results of simulations corresponding to different physical situations and discuss the dynamical behavior of this nonlinear coupling. Of particular interest is the occurrence of signal amplifications in the form of resonance phenomena when a frequency associated with the radial pulsations is close to a frequency associated with one of the axial w-modes of the star. Finally, we mention possible extensions of this work and improvements towards more astrophysically motivated scenarios.