Neutron Stars with a Quark Core. II. Basic Integral and Structural Parameters

A broad sample of computed realistic equations of state of superdense matter with a quark phase transition is used to construct a series of models of neutron stars with a strange quark core. The integral characteristics of the stellar configurations are obtained: gravitational mass, rest mass, radius, relativistic moment of inertia, and red shift from the star's surface, as well as the mass and radius of the quark core within the allowable range of values for the central pressure. The parameters of some of the characteristic configurations of the calculated series are also given and these are studied in detail. It is found that a new additional region of stability for neutron stars with strange quark cores may exist for some models of the equation of state.     

Neutron stars

Erevan State University. Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 111–123, July–August, 1989.     

Relativistic mean-field theory equation of state of neutron star matter and a Maxwellian phase transition to strange quark matter

The equation of state of neutron star matter is examined in terms of the relativistic mean-field theory, including a scalar-isovector δ-meson effective field. The constants of the theory are determined numerically so that the empirically known characteristics of symmetric nuclear matter are reproduced at the saturation density. The thermodynamic characteristics of both asymmetric nucleonic matter and β-equilibrium hadron-electron npe-plasmas are studied. Assuming that the transition to strange quark matter is an ordinary first-order phase transition described by Maxwell's rule, a detailed study is made of the variations in the parameters of the phase transition owing to the presence of a δ-meson field. The quark phase is described using an improved version of the bag model, in which interactions between quarks are accounted for in a one-gluon exchange approximation. The characteristics of the phase transition are determined for various values of the bag parameter within the range B ∈ [60,120]MeV/fm³ and it is shown that including a δ-meson field leads to a reduction in the phase transition pressure P ₀ and in the concentrations n _N and n _Q at the phase transition point. Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 52, No. 1, pp. 147–164 (February 2009).     

A model of low-mass neutron stars with a quark core

We consider an equation of state that leads to a first-order phase transition from the nucleon state to the quark state with a transition parameter λ>3/2 (λ=ρ_Q/(ρ_N+P₀/c²)) in superdense nuclear matter. Our calculations of integrated parameters for superdense stars using this equation of state show that on the stable branch of the dependence of stellar mass on central pressure dM/dP_c>0) in the range of low masses, a new local maximum with M_max=0.082_⊙ and R=1251 km appears after the formation of a toothlike kink (M=0.08M_⊙, R=205 km) attributable to quark production. For such a star, the mass and radius of the quark core are M_core=0.005M_⊙ and R_core=1.73 km, respectively. In the model under consideration, mass accretion can result in two successive transitions to a quark-core neutron star with energy release similar to a supernova explosion: initially, a low-mass star with a quark core is formed; the subsequent accretion leads to configurations with a radius of ～1000 km; and, finally, the second catastrophic restructuring gives rise to a star with a radius of ～100 km.     

Properties of Hot Quark Matter with Neutrino Confinement in the NJL Model

Astrophysics - The thermodynamic characteristics of hot β-equilibrium three-flavor quark matter with neutrino confinement are studied in terms of the local SU(3) Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (NJL)...     

Neutron Stars with a Quark Core. I. Equations of State

An extensive set of realistic equations of state for superdense matter with a quark phase transition is derived on the basis of the three equations of state for neutron matter and the eight variants of strange quark-gluon plasmas in the MIT quark bag model. The characteristics of the phase transitions are described and the calculated equations of state with a density jump are studied in detail.