On the effects of conformal degrees of freedom inside a neutron star

TL;DR

This paper investigates how conformal degrees of freedom at the phase boundary inside a neutron star affect its stability and structure, revealing conditions for stable equilibrium and potential astrophysical implications.

Contribution

It introduces a model incorporating conformal degrees of freedom at the neutron star's phase boundary and analyzes their impact on stability using Israel junction conditions.

Findings

Conformal degrees of freedom can destabilize the phase boundary.

Stable equilibrium depends on density and density profile slope differences.

Parameter ranges for stability are physically reasonable.

Abstract

In this paper a neutron star with an inner core which undergoes a phase transition, which is characterized by conformal degrees of freedom on the phase boundary, is considered. Typical cases of such a phase transition are e.g. quantum Hall effect, superconductivity and superfluidity. Assuming the mechanical stability of this system the effects induced by the conformal degrees of freedom on the phase boundary will be analyzed. We will see that the inclusion of conformal degrees of freedom is not always consistent with the staticity of the phase boundary. Indeed also in the case of mechanical equilibrium there may be the tendency of one phase to swallow the other. Such a shift of the phase boundary would not imply any compression or decompression of the core. By solving the Israel junction conditions for the conformal matter, we have found the range of physical parameters which can guarantee a stable equilibrium of the phase boundary of the neutron star. The relevant parameters turn out to be not only the density difference but also the difference of the slope of the density profiles of the two phases. The values of the parameters which guarantee the stability turn out to be in a phenomenologically reasonable range. For the parameter values where the the phase boundary tends to move, a possible astrophysical consequence related to sudden small changes of the moment of inertia of the star is briefly discussed.