Stability windows at finite temperature

TL;DR

This paper explores the stability of strange matter in proto-quark stars at finite temperature using advanced models, extending previous work with more sophisticated treatments like the quark-mass density dependent model.

Contribution

It introduces and compares the QMDD model with the MIT bag model for analyzing strange matter stability in proto-quark stars at finite temperature.

Findings

Stability windows depend on temperature and model choice.

QMDD model provides different stability conditions than MIT bag model.

Results suggest conditions under which strange matter could be the ground state.

Abstract

The assumption underlying the existence of quark stars is based on the Bodmer-Witten conjecture. These authors have claimed that it is possible that the interior of a neutron-like star does not consist primarily of hadrons, but rather of the strange matter (SM). Strange matter is composed of deconfined quarks, including up, down and strange quarks, plus the leptons necessary to ensure charge neutrality and \beta-equilibrium. This possibility arises because a phase transition from hadronic to quark phase is possible at densities present in the interior of neutron stars. It has been argued that strange matter is the true ground state of all matter. If this is the case, as soon as the core of the star converts to the quark phase, the entire star converts. SM was first considered in calculations obtained within the MIT bag model framework. More sophisticated treatments for SM, based on the quark-mass density dependent model is considered in this work. We discuss next the following models for proto-quark stars: the QMDD model, and the MIT bag model.