Quark Matter Symmetry Energy Research Articles

Interface effects of quark matter: Light-quark nuggets and compact stars

The interface effects of quark matter play important roles in the properties of compact stars and small nuggets, such as strangelets and nonstrange quark matter ($ud\mathrm{QM}$) nuggets. By introducing a density derivative term to the Lagrangian density and adopting Thomas-Fermi approximation, we find it is possible to reproduce the results obtained by solving Dirac equations. Adopting certain parameter sets, the energy per baryon of $ud\mathrm{QM}$ nuggets decreases with baryon number $A$ and become more stable than nuclei at $A\ensuremath{\gtrsim}300$. The effects of quark matter symmetry energy are examined, where $ud\mathrm{QM}$ nuggets at $A\ensuremath{\approx}1000$ can be more stable than others if large symmetry energy is adopted. In such cases, larger $ud\mathrm{QM}$ nuggets will decay via fission and the surface of a $ud\mathrm{QM}$ star will fragment into a crust made of $ud\mathrm{QM}$ nuggets and electrons, which resembles the cases of a strange star's crust. The corresponding microscopic structures are then investigated adopting spherical and cylindrical approximations for the Wigner-Seitz cells, where the droplet phase is found to be the most stable configuration with $ud\mathrm{QM}$ stars' crusts and $ud\mathrm{QM}$ dwarfs made of $ud\mathrm{QM}$ nuggets ($A\ensuremath{\approx}1000$) and electrons. For the cases considered here, the crust thickness of $ud\mathrm{QM}$ stars is typically $\ensuremath{\sim}200\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{m}$, which reaches a few kilometers if we neglect the interface effects and adopt Gibbs construction. The masses and radii of $ud\mathrm{QM}$ dwarfs are smaller than typical white dwarfs, which would increase if the interface effects are neglected.

Symmetry energy effects on the properties of hybrid stars

Symmetry energy is an important part of the equation of state of isospin asymmetry matter. However, the huge uncertainties of symmetry energy remain at suprasaturation densities, where the phase transitions of strongly interacting matter and the quark matter symmetry energy are likely to be taken into account. In this work, we investigate the properties of symmetry energy by using a hybrid star with the hadron-quark phase transition. The interaction among strange quark matter (SQM) in hybrid stars is based on a 3-flavor NJL model with different vector and isovector channels, while the equation of state (EOS) of the nuclear matter is obtained by considering the ImMDI-ST interaction by varying the parameters x, y, and z. Our results indicate that the various parameters and coupling constants of the interactions from the ImMDI-ST and NJL model can lead to widely different trends for the symmetry energy in the hadron-quark mixed phase and the different onsets of the hadron-quark phase transition. In addition, it has been found that the radii and tidal deformabilities of hybrid stars constrain mostly the density dependence of symmetry energy while the observed maximum masses of hybrid stars constrain mostly the EOS of symmetric nuclear and quark matter.

Proto-magnetars within quasiparticle model

We investigate the thermodynamical properties of strange quark matter (SQM) at zero/finite temperature and under constant magnetic field within quasiparticle model. The quark matter symmetry energy, energy per baryon, free energy per baryon, anisotropic pressures are also studied and the result indicates that both the effects of temperature and magnetic field can significantly influence the thermodynamical properties of quark matter and proto-quark stars (PQSs). Our result also indicates that the maximum mass and the core temperature of PQSs not only depends on the heating process at the isentropic stages, but also but also the magnetic field strength and orientation distribution inside the magnetar within quasiparticle model.

Proto-magnetars within quasiparticle model

We investigate the thermodynamical properties of strange quark matter (SQM) at zero/finite temperature and under constant magnetic field within quasiparticle model. The quark matter symmetry energy, energy per baryon, free energy per baryon, anisotropic pressures are also studied and the result indicates that both the effects of temperature and magnetic field can significantly influence the thermodynamical properties of quark matter and proto-quark stars (PQSs). Our result also indicates that the maximum mass and the core temperature of PQSs not only depends on the heating process at the isentropic stages, but also but also the magnetic field strength and orientation distribution inside the magnetar within quasiparticle model.

Isospin effect on quark matter instabilities

We have studied the mechanical and chemical instabilities as well as the liquid-gas-like phase transition in isospin asymmetric quark matter based on the NJL and the pNJL model. Areas of the mechanical instability region and the liquid-gas coexistence region are seen to be enlarged with a larger quark matter symmetry energy or in the presence of strange quarks. Our study shows that the light cluster yield ratio observed in relativistic heavy-ion collisions may not be affected much by the uncertainties of the isospin effect, and favors a smooth hadron-quark phase transition in compact stars as well as their mergers.

Quark star matter in heavy quark stars

We study the thermodynamic properties of asymmetric quark matter and large mass quark stars within the confined-isospin-density-dependent-quark-mass model. We find that the quark matter symmetry energy should be very large in order to describe the recent discovered heavy compact stars PSR J0348+0432 (text {2.01}pm text {0.04}M_{odot }), MSP J0740+6620 (text {2.14}pm ^text {0.10}_text {0.09}M_{odot } of 68.3% credibility interval and text {2.14}pm ^text {0.20}_text {0.18}M_{odot } of 95.4% credibility interval) and PSR J2215+5135 (2.27pm ^text {0.10}_text {0.09}M_{odot }) as QSs. The tidal deformability Lambda _{1.4} of the QSs is also investigated in this work, and the result indicates that Lambda _{1.4} may depend on the isospin effects and the strength / orientation distribution of the magnetic fields inside the quark stars.

Isospin properties in quark matter and quark stars within isospin-dependent quark mass models

We investigate the isospin properties of the strange quark matter (SQM) and quark stars (QSs) in the framework of the isospin-dependent confining quark matter (ICQM) model and confined-isospin and density-dependent mass (CIDDM) model. Within these two isospin-dependent quark mass phenomenological models, we study the quark matter symmetry energy, the stability of strange quark matter, the quark fractions, the isospin asymmetry, and the quark mass asymmetry in SQM, and the mass-radius relation of quark stars. We find that including isospin dependence of the quark mass can significantly influence the isospin properties of the quark matter. Recently, the LIGO-Virgo collaboration reported their detection of gravitational wave (GW) signals GW170817, which are originating from a binary compact star merger. Using the ICQM model and CIDDM model, we describe the compact stars with the new maximum mass limits $2.{01}_{\ensuremath{-}0.04}^{+0.04}\ensuremath{\le}M/{M}_{\ensuremath{\bigodot}}\ensuremath{\le}2.{16}_{\ensuremath{-}0.15}^{+0.17}$ as quark stars, and the dimensionless tidal deformabilities of QSs are also investigated in this work.

Isovector properties of quark matter and quark stars in an isospin-dependent confining model

The confining quark matter (CQM) model, in which the confinement and asymptotic freedom are modeled via the Richardson potential for quark-quark vector interaction and the chiral symmetry restoration at high density is described by the density dependent quark mass, is extended to include isospin dependence of the quark mass. Within this extended isospin-dependent confining quark matter (ICQM) model, we study the properties of strange quark matter and quark stars. We find that including isospin dependence of the quark mass can significantly influence the quark matter symmetry energy, the stability of strange quark matter and the mass-radius relation of quark stars. In particular, we demonstrate although the recently discovered large mass pulsars PSR J1614.2230 and PSR J0348+0432 with masses around two times solar mass ($2M_{\odot}$) cannot be quark stars within the original CQM model, they can be well described by quark stars in the ICQM model if the isospin dependence of quark mass is strong enough so that the quark matter symmetry energy is about four times that of a free quark gas. We also discuss the effects of the density dependence of quark mass on the properties of quark stars. Our results indicate that the heavy quark stars with mass around $2M_{\odot}$ (if exist) can put strong constraints on isospin and density dependence of the quark mass as well as the quark matter symmetry energy.

Isospin properties of quark matter from a 3-flavor NJL model

We have studied the properties of hot and dense quark matter based on the 3-flavor Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model as well as its Polyakov-loop extension (pNJL) with scalar-isovector and vector-isovector couplings. Provided a considerable large isospin asymmetry or isospin chemical potential, isospin splittings of constituent mass, chiral phase transition boundary, and critical point for $u$ and $d$ quarks can be observed for positive isovector coupling constants but are suppressed for negative ones. The quark matter symmetry energy decreases with the increasing isovector coupling constant, and is mostly enhanced in the pNJL model than in the NJL model. A positive scalar-isovector coupling constant is more likely to lead to an unstable isospin asymmetric quark matter. The isovector coupling has been further found to affect particle fractions as well as the equation of state in hybrid stars. Possible effects on the isospin properties of quark matter have also been discussed if the strangeness sector is further broken among the flavor symmetry.

Quark matter in an SU(3) Nambu–Jona-Lasinio model with two types of vector interactions

We investigate the properties of asymmetric quark matter and strange quark matter in the framework of the SU(3) Nambu--Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model with two types of vector interactions: (1) the flavor-dependent repulsion among different flavors of quarks with the coupling constant ${G}_{V}$, and (2) the universal repulsion and the vector-isovector interaction among different flavors of quarks with the coupling constants ${g}_{V}$ and ${G}_{IV}$. Using these two types of vector interactions in the NJL model, we study the quark symmetry energy in asymmetric quark matter, the constituent quark mass, the quark fraction, the equation of state in strange quark matter, the maximum mass of a quark star, and the properties of the QCD phase diagram. We find that including the two types of vector interactions in the SU(3) NJL model can significantly influence the quark matter symmetry energy as well as the properties of strange quark matter and quark stars. In particular, our results indicate that we can describe PSR $\mathrm{J}1614\ensuremath{-}2230$ and PSR $\mathrm{J}0348+0432$ as quark stars by considering the universal repulsion and the vector-isovector interaction among quark matter in the SU(3) NJL model.

Symmetry energy systematics and its high density behavior

We explore the systematics of the density dependence of nuclear matter symmetry energy in the ambit of microscopic calculations with various energy density functionals, and find that the symmetry energy from subsaturation density to supra-saturation density can be well determined by three characteristic parameters of the symmetry energy at saturation density $\rho_0 $, i.e., the magnitude $E_{\text{sym}}({\rho_0 })$, the density slope $L$ and the density curvature $K_{\text{sym}}$. This finding opens a new window to constrain the supra-saturation density behavior of the symmetry energy from its (sub-)saturation density behavior. In particular, we obtain $L=46.7 \pm 12.8$ MeV and $K_{\text{sym}}=-166.9 \pm 168.3$ MeV as well as $E_{\text{sym}}({2\rho _{0}}) \approx 40.2 \pm 12.8$ MeV and $L({2\rho _{0}}) \approx 8.9 \pm 108.7$ MeV based on the present knowledge of $E_{\text{sym}}({\rho_{0}}) = 32.5 \pm 0.5$ MeV, $E_{\text{sym}}({\rho_c}) = 26.65 \pm 0.2$ MeV and $L({\rho_c}) = 46.0 \pm 4.5$ MeV at $\rho_{\rm{c}}= 0.11$ fm$^{-3}$ extracted from nuclear mass and the neutron skin thickness of Sn isotopes. Our results indicate that the symmetry energy cannot be stiffer than a linear density dependence.In addition, we also discuss the quark matter symmetry energy since the deconfined quarks could be the right degree of freedom in dense matter at high baryon densities.

QUARK MATTER SYMMETRY ENERGY AND QUARK STARS

We extend the confined-density-dependent-mass (CDDM) model to include isospin dependence of the equivalent quark mass. Within the confined-isospin-density-dependent-mass (CIDDM) model, we study the quark matter symmetry energy, the stability of strange quark matter, and the properties of quark stars. We find that including isospin dependence of the equivalent quark mass can significantly influence the quark matter symmetry energy as well as the properties of strange quark matter and quark stars. While the recently discovered large mass pulsars PSR J1614-2230 and PSR J0348+0432 with masses around $2M_{\odot}$ cannot be quark stars within the CDDM model, they can be well described by quark stars in the CIDDM model. In particular, our results indicate that the two-flavor $u$-$d$ quark matter symmetry energy should be at least about twice that of a free quark gas or normal quark matter within conventional Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model in order to describe the PSR J1614-2230 and PSR J0348+0432 as quark stars.