Self-bound models of compact stars and recent mass-radius measurements

TL;DR

This paper evaluates strange star models with pairing interactions against recent mass-radius data of four compact stars, suggesting they could explain the observations within a specific parameter range but requiring further data and theory.

Contribution

It assesses the viability of self-bound strange star models with pairing interactions in light of recent observational data, identifying a narrow parameter space consistent with measurements.

Findings

Strange star models can potentially explain recent mass-radius measurements.

A small parameter window fits the observational data.

Further measurements and theoretical work are necessary for definitive conclusions.

Abstract

The exact composition of a specific class of compact stars, historically referred to as "neutron stars", is still quite unknown. Possibilities ranging from hadronic to quark degrees of freedom, including self-bound versions of the latter have been proposed. We specifically address the suitability of strange star models (including pairing interactions) in this work, in the light of new measurements available for four compact stars. The analysis shows that these data might be explained by such an exotic equation of state, actually selecting a small window in parameter space, but still new precise measurements and also further theoretical developments are needed to settle the subject.