Strange Matter Research Articles

Quark matter and quark stars in strong magnetic fields at finite temperature within the confined-isospin-density-dependent mass model

We study the properties of strange quark matter (SQM) and quark stars (QSs) in strong magnetic fields within the extended confined isospin-density-dependent mass (CIDDM) model including the temperature dependence of the equivalent mass for quarks. The quark symmetry energy, quark symmetry free energy, and the equation of state (EOS) of SQM in constant magnetic fields at finite temperature are investigated, and it is found that including the temperature dependence in CIDDM model and considering strong magnetic fields can both significantly influence the properties of the SQM and the maximum mass of quark stars. Using the density-dependent magnetic field and assuming two extreme cases for the magnetic field orientation in QSs (the radial orientation in which the local magnetic fields are along the radial direction and the transverse orientation in which the local magnetic fields are randomly oriented but perpendicular to the radial orientation), we analyze the mass-radius relations for different stages of the protoquark stars (PQSs) along the star evolution. Our results indicate that the maximum mass of magnetized PQSs may depend on not only the strength distribution and the orientation of the magnetic fields inside the PQSs, but also the heating process and the cooling process in the star evolution.

Merger of Two Neutron Stars: Predictions from the Two-families Scenario

Abstract If only one family of “neutron stars” exists, their maximum mass must be equal to or larger than and then, only in less than about 18% of cases, the outcome of the merger of two neutron stars is a prompt collapse to a black hole, since the newly formed system can avoid the collapse at least until differential rotation is present. In the so-called two-families scenario, stars made of hadrons are stable only up to about , while the most massive compact stars are entirely made of strange quark matter. We show that in this scenario the outcome of the merger of two compact stars, entirely composed by hadrons, is a prompt collapse in at least 34% of the cases. It will therefore be easy to discriminate between the two scenarios once the gravitational waves emitted at the moment of the merger are detected. Finally, we shortly discuss the implications of GW170817−GRB 170817A.

Strange matter in compact stars

We discuss possible scenarios for the existence of strange matter in compact stars. The appearance of hyperons leads to a hyperon puzzle in ab-initio approaches based on effective baryon-baryon potentials but is not a severe problem in relativistic mean field models. In general, the puzzle can be resolved in a natural way if hadronic matter gets stiffened at supersaturation densities, an effect based on the quark Pauli quenching between hadrons. We explain the conflict between the necessity to implement dynamical chiral symmetry breaking into a model description and the conditions for the appearance of absolutely stable strange quark matter that require both, approximately masslessness of quarks and a mechanism of confinement. The role of strangeness in compact stars (hadronic or quark matter realizations) remains unsettled. It is not excluded that strangeness plays no role in compact stars at all. To answer the question whether the case of absolutely stable strange quark matter can be excluded on theoretical grounds requires an understanding of dense matter that we have not yet reached.

Neutron stars velocities and magnetic fields

We study a model that explain neutron stars velocities due to the anisotropic emission of neutrinos. Strong magnetic fields present in neutron stars are the source of the anisotropy in the system. To compute the velocity of the neutron star we model its core as composed by strange quark matter and analice the properties of a magnetized quark gas at finite temperature and density. Specifically we have obtained the electron polarization and the specific heat of magnetized fermions as a functions of the temperature, chemical potential and magnetic field which allow us to study the velocity of the neutron star as a function of these parameters.

Muon bundles from the Universe

Recently the CERN ALICE experiment, in its dedicated cosmic ray run, observed muon bundles of very high multiplicities, thereby confirming similar findings from the LEP era at CERN (in the CosmoLEP project). Significant evidence for anisotropy of arrival directions of the observed high multiplicity muonic bundles is found. Estimated directionality suggests their possible extragalactic provenance. We argue that muonic bundles of highest multiplicity are produced by strangelets, hypothetical stable lumps of strange quark matter infiltrating our Universe.

On muon bundles from the Universe

Recently the CERN ALICE experiment, in its dedicated cosmic ray run, observed muon bundles of very high multiplicities, thereby confirming similar findings from the LEP era at CERN (in the CosmoLEP project). We found significant evidence for anisotropy of arrival directions of the observed high multiplicity muonic bundles. The distribution on celestial sphere and the estimated directionality suggests their possible extragalactic source. We argue that muonic bundles of highest multiplicity are produced by strangelets, hypothetical stable lumps of strange quark matter infiltrating our Universe.

Strange quark mass effect on the structure of hybrid stars

We study the strange quark mass effect on the phase diagram of strong interaction and the structure of compact stars with a thermodynamically enhanced perturbative QCD model by matching quark matter onto nuclear matter using the Gibbs conditions. It is found that the mass effect of strange quark matter can obviously stiffen the equation of state of mixed phases and result in more massive hybrid stars (HSs), while that usually lowers the maximum mass of pure quark stars. Given reasonable model parameters, the maximum mass of HSs can reach two times the solar mass and the stars always have mixed-phase core in a considerably wide range of model parameters.

Gravitational waves from binary compact star mergers in the context of strange matter

In this article we will focus on the appearance of the hadron-quark phase transition and the formation of strange matter in the interior region of the hypermassive neutron star and its conjunction with the spectral properties of the emitted gravitational waves (GWs). A strong hadron-quark phase transition might give rise to a mass-radius relation with a twin star shape and we will show in this article that a twin star collapse followed by a twin star oscillation is feasible. If such a twin star collapse would happen during the postmerger phase it will be imprinted in the GW-signal.

Strange matter prospects within the string-flip model

In this contribution we extend the recently developed two-flavor quark-matter string-flip model by including strange quarks. We discuss implications for compact stars.

Conversion of neutron stars to 2 + 1 flavor Nambu–Jona-Lasinio quark stars as a mechanism for gamma-ray bursts

The phase transition from a neutron star to a quark star and its relation to gamma-ray bursts are investigated. A new model: the 2 + 1 flavor Nambu–Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model with the method of proper-time regularization (PTR) is utilized for the quark phase; while the Relativistic Mean Field (RMF) theory is used for the hadronic phase. The process of phase transition is studied by considering the chemical potential, paying special attention to the phase transition point and the emergence of strange quark matter. Characteristics of compact stars are illustrated, and the energy release during the phase transition is found to be [Formula: see text] erg.

Warm asymmetric quark matter and protoquark stars within the confined isospin-density-dependent mass model

We extend the confined-isospin-density-dependent mass (CIDDM) model to include temperature dependence of the equivalent mass for quarks. Within the CIDDM model, we study the equation of state (EOS) for $\beta$-equilibrium quark matter, quark symmetry energy, quark symmetry free energy, and the properties of quark stars at finite temperature. We find that including the temperature dependence of the equivalent mass can significantly influence the properties of the strange quark matter (SQM) as well as the quark symmetry energy, the quark symmetry free energy, and the maximum mass of quark stars at finite temperature. The mass-radius relations for different stages of the proto-quark stars (PQSs) along the star evolution are analyzed. Our results indicate that the heating (cooling) process for PQSs will increase (decrease) the maximum mass within CIDDM model by including temperature dependence of the equivalent mass for quarks.

Magnetized strange quark matter in f(R, T) gravity with bilinear and special form of time varying deceleration parameter

In this paper, we have studied homogeneous and anisotropic locally rotationally symmetric (LRS) Bianchi type-I model with magnetized strange quark matter (MSQM) distribution and cosmological constant Λ in f(R, T) gravity where R is the Ricci scalar and T the trace of matter source. The exact solutions of the field equations are obtained under bilinear and special form of time varying deceleration parameter (DP). Firstly, we have considered two specific forms of bilinear DP with a single parameter of the form: q=α(1−t)1+t and q=−αt1+t, which leads to the constant or linear nature of the function based on the constant α. Second one is the special form of the DP as q=−1+β1+aβ. From the results obtained here, one can observe that in the early universe magnetic flux has more effects and it reduces gradually in the later stage. For t → ∞, we get p→−Bc and ρ → Bc. The behaviour of strange quark matter along with magnetic epoch gives an idea of accelerated expansion of the universe as per the observations of the type Ia Supernovae.

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.

Searching for Strange Quark Matter Objects in Exoplanets

Abstract The true ground state of hadronic matter may be strange quark matter (SQM). Consequently, observed pulsars may actually be strange quark stars, but not neutron stars. However, proving or disproving the SQM hypothesis still remains a difficult problem to solve due to the similarity between the macroscopical characteristics of strange quark stars and neutron stars. Here, we propose a hopeful method to probe the existence of SQM. In the framework of the SQM hypothesis, strange quark dwarfs and even strange quark planets can also stably exist. Noting that SQM planets will not be tidally disrupted even when they get very close to their host stars due to their extreme compactness, we argue that we could identify SQM planets by searching for very close-in planets among extrasolar planetary systems. Especially, we should keep our eyes on possible pulsar planets with orbital radius less than ∼5.6 × 1010 cm and period less than ∼6100 s. A thorough search in the currently detected ∼2950 exoplanets around normal main-sequence stars has failed to identify any stable close-in objects that meet the SQM criteria, i.e., lying in the tidal disruption region for normal matter planets. However, the pulsar planet PSR J1719-1438B, with an orbital radius of ∼6 × 1010 cm and orbital period of 7837 s, is, encouragingly, found to be a good candidate.

A Higher Dimensional Cosmological Model and Quark Confinement

We have constructed a five-dimensional Bianchi type-III cosmological model with strange quark matter attached to the string cloud in Barber’s second self-creation theory of gravitation which is inflationary. An exact inflationary string cosmological model is obtained in which the theory leads to the Einstein theory at initial epoch. It is interesting to note that as T gradually increases, the scalar expansion θ and shear scalar σ 2 decrease and finally they vanish when T → ∞. The cosmological parameters have been discussed in detail.

High-density kaonic-proton matter (KPM) composed of Λ⁎ ≡ K−p multiplets and its astrophysical connections

We propose and examine a new form of high-density neutral composite of Λ⁎≡K−p=(su¯)⊗(uud), which may be called anti-Kaonic Proton Matter (KPM), or simply, Λ⁎-Matter, where substantial shrinkage of baryonic bound systems originating from the strong attraction of the (K¯N)I=0 interaction takes place, providing a ground-state neutral baryonic system with a large energy gap. The mass of an ensemble of (K−p)m, where m, the number of the K−p pair, becomes larger than m≈10, is predicted to drop down below that of its corresponding neutron ensemble, (n)m, since the attractive interaction is further increased by the Heitler–London type molecular covalency as well as by chiral symmetry restoration of the QCD vacuum. Since the seed clusters (K−p, K−pp and K−K−pp) are short-lived, the formation of such a stabilized relic ensemble, (K−p)m, may be conceived during the Big-Bang Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP) period in the early universe. At the final stage of baryogenesis a substantial amount of primordial (u¯,d¯)'s are transferred and captured into KPM, where the anti-quarks find places to survive forever. The expected KPM state may be cold, dense and neutralq¯q-hybrid (Quark Gluon Bound (QGB)) states,[s(u¯⊗u)ud]m, to which the relic of the disappearing anti-quarks plays an essential role as hidden components. KPM may also be produced during the formation and decay of neutron stars in connections with supernova explosions, and other forms may exist as strange quark matter in cosmic dusts.

Bulk viscosity of strange quark matter in an enhanced perturbative QCD model

The bulk viscosity is studied in a thermodynamically enhanced perturbative QCD (EPQ) model that includes the running of both the strong coupling and the strange quark mass. Similar to the results in other effective models, the bulk viscosity in the EPQ model is larger by 1--2 orders of magnitude compared with that in the MIT bag model. Comparison among the different models indicates that the similarity in orders is mainly due to the inclusion of interactions between quarks. When the temperature is relatively low and enters the equation of state of quark matter, the bulk viscosity can be enormously enlarged. For the analytical expression of bulk viscosity, a reasonable range of model parameters is found. Moreover, due to the enlarged bulk viscosity, the damping time of a strange star with about 2 times the solar mass can be as short as ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ second, showing that massive quark stars could reach stability quickly after some radial unstable activities.

Mini-EUSO: A high resolution detector for the study of terrestrial and cosmic UV emission from the International Space Station

The Mini-EUSO instrument is a UV telescope to be placed inside the International Space Station (ISS), looking down on the Earth from a nadir-facing window in the Russian Zvezda module. Mini-EUSO will map the earth in the UV range (300–400nm) with a spatial resolution of 6.11km and a temporal resolution of 2.5μs, offering the opportunity to study a variety of atmospheric events such as transient luminous events (TLEs) and meteors, as well as searching for strange quark matter and bioluminescence. Furthermore, Mini-EUSO will be used to detect space debris to verify the possibility of using a EUSO-class telescope in combination with a high energy laser for space debris remediation. The high-resolution mapping of the UV emissions from Earth orbit allows Mini-EUSO to serve as a pathfinder for the study of Extreme Energy Cosmic Rays (EECRs) from space by the JEM-EUSO collaboration.

Exposing strangeness: Projections for kaon electromagnetic form factors

A continuum approach to the kaon and pion bound-state problems is used to reveal their electromagnetic structure. For both systems, when used with parton distribution amplitudes appropriate to the scale of the experiment, Standard Model hard-scattering formulae are accurate to within 25% at momentum transfers $Q^2 \approx 8\,$GeV$^2$. There are measurable differences between the distribution of strange and normal matter within the kaons, e.g. the ratio of their separate contributions reaches a peak value of $1.5$ at $Q^2 \approx 6\,$GeV$^2$. Its subsequent $Q^2$-evolution is accurately described by the hard scattering formulae. Projections for kaon and pion form factors at timelike momenta beyond the resonance region are also presented. These results and projections should prove useful in planning next-generation experiments.

Octet baryon magnetic moments from lattice QCD: Approaching experiment from a three-flavor symmetric point

Lattice QCD calculations with background magnetic fields are used to determine the magnetic moments of the octet baryons. Computations are performed at the physical value of the strange quark mass, and two values of the light quark mass, one corresponding to the three-flavor symmetric point, where the pion mass is 800 MeV, and the other corresponding to a pion mass of 450 MeV. The moments are found to exhibit only mild pion-mass dependence when expressed in terms of appropriately chosen magneton units- the natural baryon magneton. A curious pattern is revealed among the anomalous baryon magnetic moments which is linked to the constituent quark model, however, careful scrutiny exposes additional features. Relations expected to hold in the large-Nc limit of QCD are studied; and, in one case, a clear preference for the quark model over the large-Nc prediction is found. The magnetically coupled Lambda-Sigma system is treated in detail at the three-flavor symmetric point, with the lattice QCD results comparing favorably with predictions based on SU(3)F symmetry. This analysis enables the first extraction of the isovector transition magnetic polarizability. The possibility that large magnetic fields stabilize strange matter is explored, but such a scenario is found to be unlikely.