Is there Quark Matter in (Low-Mass) Pulsars?
Abstract
The effect of the QCD phase transition is studied for the mass-radius relation of compact stars and for hot and dense matter at a given proton fraction used as input in core-collapse supernova simulations. The phase transitions to the 2SC and CFL color superconducting phases lead to stable hybrid star configurations with a pure quark matter core. In supernova explosions quark matter could be easily produced due to β-equilibrium, small proton fractions and nonvanishing temperatures. A low critical density for the phase transition to quark matter is compatible with present pulsar mass measurements.
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