QCD relics from the early Universe

TL;DR

The paper proposes that stable, dark, pionic domains formed in the early Universe could have survived until today, potentially explaining some pulsar observations.

Contribution

It introduces a novel hypothesis that early Universe pionic domains can be stable and resemble pulsars, offering a new perspective on dark matter and compact objects.

Findings

Domains could have radii of a few kilometers.

Domains' rotation periods align with pulsar data.

Decay rates into photons are negligible.

Abstract

We suggest the possibility of creation in the early Universe of stable domains of radius a few kilometers wide, formed by coherently excited states of $\pi$-mesons. Such domains appear dark to an external observer, since the decay rate of the said coherent pionic states into photons is vanishingly small. The related thermal insulation of the domains from the outer world could have allowed them to survive till present days. The estimated maximum radius and the period of rotation of such objects turn out to be compatible with those of certain pulsars.