A red giant with a strange star as its core. Principal similarities to and differences from Thorne-Zytkow objects

Abstract

A model red giant with a mass of 5 M⊙ a luminosity of 41,740 L⊙, and a radius of 960 R⊙ and with a strange quark star as its core is constructed, and it is compared with a Thorne-Zytkow object having similar integrated parameters. The difference in internal structure is manifested right at the dense core: matter above the core is held off only by γ rays from the strange star, and convection is maintained down to the strange star. The lifetime of a red giant containing a strange star turns out to be almost 500 times shorter than that of a Thorne-Zytkow object — on the order of 105 years.