In recent papers [1,2] a new scenario describing evolution of rapidly rotating neutron stars in low-mass X-ray binaries was proposed. The scenario accounts for resonant interaction of normal r modes with superfluid inertial modes at some specific internal stellar temperatures ("resonance temperatures"). This interaction results in an enhanced damping of r mode and appearance of the "stability peaks" in the temperature - spin frequency plane in the vicinity of resonance temperatures. The scenario suggests that the hot and rapidly rotating neutron stars spend most of their life climbing up these peaks and, in particular, are observed there at the moment. We analyze in detail possible observational signatures of this suggestion.

References

1. M.E. Gusakov, A.I. Chugunov, E.M. Kantor
   "Instability windows and evolution of rapidly rotating neutron stars" [arXiv:1310.8103]
   Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 151101 [6 pp.] (2014)
2. M.E. Gusakov, A.I. Chugunov, E.M. Kantor
   "Explaining observations of rapidly rotating neutron stars in LMXBs" [arXiv:1305.3825]
   Phys. Rev. D 90, 063001 [27 pp.] (2014)

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