Minimal color-flavor-locked–nuclear interface (original) (raw)

Constraints on possible phase transitions above the nuclear saturation density

Physical Review C, 2002

We compare different models for hadronic and quark phases of cold baryon-rich matter in an attempt to find a deconfinement phase transition between them. For the hadronic phase we consider Walecka-type mean-field models which describe well the nuclear saturation properties. We also use the variational chain model which takes into account correlation effects. For the quark phase we consider the MIT bag model, the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio and the massive quasiparticle models. By comparing pressure as a function of baryon chemical potential we find that crossings of hadronic and quark branches are possible only in some exceptional cases while for most realistic parameter sets these branches do not cross at all. Moreover, the chiral phase transition, often discussed within the framework of QCD motivated models, lies in the region where the quark phases are unstable with respect to the hadronic phase. We discuss possible physical consequences of these findings.

Dynamical color correlations in a SU(2)c quark exchange model of nuclear matter

Physical Review C, 1994

The quark exchange model is a simple realization of an adiabatic approximation to the strong-coupling limit of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD): the quarks always coalesce into the lowest energy set of flux tubes. Nuclear matter is thus modeled in terms of its quarks. We wish to study the correlations imposed by total wavefunction antisymmetry when color degrees of freedom are included. To begin with, we have considered one-dimensional matter with a SU (2) color internal degree of freedom only. We proceed by constructing a totally antisymmetric, color singlet Ansatz characterized by a variational parameter λ (which describes the length scale over which two quarks in the system are clustered into hadrons) and by performing a variational Monte Carlo calculation of the energy to optimize λ for a fixed density. We calculate the q − q correlation function as well, and discuss the qualitative differences between the system at low and high density.

A prelude to Neutron Stars: The phase diagram of the strong interactions at finite density

We consider strong interactions at finite density in mean field theory, through an effective lagrangian that can describe both nuclear matter and quark matter. This lagrangian has three couplings that are all fixed by experiment and no other parameters. With increasing baryon density we then find the following hierarchy. At nuclear density and above we have nuclear matter with chiral spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB), followed by the pion condensed quark matter, again with chiral SSB, albeit with a different realization and finally a transition to the diquark CFL state which also has chiral SSB (and colour SSB), with yet another realization. To one's surprise at zero temperature (in mean field theory), at any finite density chiral symmetry is never restored! We find another remarkable feature and this is that the tree level mass of the sigma particle, that is set by experiment to about 800 MeV, has a crucial and unexpected influence on the physics. Strange quark matter and str...

First-order phase transition from hypernuclear matter to deconfined quark matter obeying new constraints from compact star observations

Physical Review C

We reconsider the problem of the hyperon puzzle and its suggested solution by quark deconfinement within the two-phase approach to hybrid compact stars with recently obtained hadronic and quark matter equations of state. For the hadronic phase we employ the hypernuclear equation of state from the lowest order constrained variational method and the quark matter phase is described by a sufficiently stiff equation of state based on a color superconducting nonlocal Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model with constant (model nlNJLA) and with density-dependent (model nl-NJLB) parameters. We study the model dependence of the phase transition obtained by a Maxwell construction. Our study confirms that also with the present set of equations of state quark deconfinement presents a viable solution of the hyperon puzzle even for the new constraint on the lower limit of the maximum mass from PSR J0740+6620. In this work we provide with model nlNJLB for the first time a hybrid star EoS with an intermediate hypernuclear matter phase between the nuclear and color superconducting quark matter phases, for which the maximum mass of the compact star reaches 2.2 M , in accordance with most recent constraints. In model nlNJLA such a phase cannot be realised because the phase transition onset is at low densities, before the hyperon threshold density is passed. We discuss possible consequences of the hybrid equation of state for the deconfinement phase transition in symmetric matter as it will be probed in future heavy-ion collisions at FAIR, NICA and corresponding energy scan programs at the CERN and RHIC facilities.

The coexistence curve of finite charged nuclear matter

AIP Conference Proceedings, 2002

The multifragmentation data of the ISiS Collaboration and the EOS Collaboration are examined. Fisher's droplet formalism, modified to account for Coulomb energy, is used to determine the critical exponents τ and σ, the surface energy coefficient c 0 , the pressure-temperature-density coexistence curve of finite nuclear matter and the location of the critical point. This work examines the formation of "fragments" from excited nuclei, termed "nuclear multifragmentation," which may be the result of a liquid-vapor phase transition [1, 2, 3]. Past analyses of nuclear multifragmentation have determined critical exponents [1, 4], examined caloric curves [5] and reported negative heat capacities [6]. This work will show that three EOS experimental data sets and the ISiS data set contain a signature of a liquid-vapor phase transition manifested by the scaling behavior of Fisher's droplet formalism. Via Fisher's scaling the coexistence line

Hyperon-Nucleon Interactions from Quantum Chromodynamics and the Composition of Dense Nuclear Matter

Physical Review Letters, 2012

The low-energy nΣ − interactions determine, in part, the role of the strange quark in dense matter, such as that found in astrophysical environments. The scattering phase shifts for this system are obtained from a numerical evaluation of the QCD path integral using the technique of lattice QCD. Our calculations, performed at a pion mass of mπ ∼ 389 MeV in two large lattice volumes, and at one lattice spacing, are extrapolated to the physical pion mass using effective field theory. The interactions determined from QCD are consistent with those extracted from hyperon-nucleon experimental data within uncertainties, and strengthen theoretical arguments that the strange quark is a crucial component of dense nuclear matter.

Color Superconducting Quark Matter in Compact Stars

Exotic States Of Nuclear Matter, 2008

Recent indications for high neutron star masses (M ∼ 2 M ⊙) and large radii (R > 12 km) could rule out soft equations of state and have provoked a debate whether the occurence of quark matter in compact stars can be excluded as well. We show that modern quantum field theoretical approaches to quark matter including color superconductivity and a vector meanfield allow a microscopic description of hybrid stars which fulfill the new, strong constraints. For these objects color superconductivity turns out to be an essential ingredient for a successful description of the cooling phenomenology in accordance with recently developed tests. We discuss the energy release in the neutrino untrapping transition as a new aspect of the problem that hybrid stars masquerade themselves as neutron stars. Quark matter searches in future generations of low-temperature/high-density nucleus-nucleus collision experiments such as low-energy RHIC and CBM @ FAIR might face the same problem of an almost crossover behavior of the deconfinement transition. Therefore, diagnostic tools shall be derived fromeffects of color superconductivity.

Accessibility of color superconducting quark matter phases in heavy-ion collisions

2010

We discuss a hybrid equation of state (EoS) that fulfills constraints for mass-radius relationships and cooling of compact stars. The quark matter EoS is obtained from a Polyakov-loop Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model with color superconductivity, and the hadronic one from a relativistic meanfield (RMF) model with density-dependent couplings (DD-RMF). For the construction of the phase transition regions we employ here for simplicity a Maxwell construction. We present the phase diagram for symmetric matter which exhibits two remarkable features: (1) a "nose"-like structure of the hadronic-to-quark matter phase border with an increase of the critical density at temperatures below T ∼ 150 MeV and (2) a high critical temperature for the border of the two-flavor color superconducting (2SC) phase, T c > 160 MeV. We show the trajectories of heavy-ion collisions in the plane of excitation energy vs. baryon density calculated using the UrQMD code and conjecture that for incident energies of 4. .. 8 A GeV as provided, e.g., by the Nuclotron-M at JINR Dubna or by lowest energies at the future heavy-ion collision experiments CBM@FAIR and NICA@JINR, the color superconducting quark matter phase becomes accessible.