Constraints from LIGO O3 data on gravitational-wave emission due to r-modes in the glitching pulsar PSR J0537-6910

Understand

We present a search for continuous gravitational-wave emission due to r-modes in the pulsar PSR J0537-6910 using data from the LIGO-Virgo Collaboration observing run O3.

• PSR J0537-6910 is a young energetic X-ray pulsar and is the most frequent glitcher known.
• The inter-glitch braking index of the pulsar suggests that gravitational-wave emission due to r-mode oscillations may play an important role in the spin evolution of this pulsar.
• Theoretical models confirm this possibility and predict emission at a level that can be probed by ground-based detectors.