Fragmentation of Strange Quark Matter in Astrophysical Events

TL;DR

This paper investigates how strange quark matter fragments in astrophysical events, suggesting most strangelets are unstable and that their flux on Earth is likely lower than previously thought, impacting detection prospects.

Contribution

It applies statistical multifragmentation models to strange quark matter, revealing the instability of most fragments and revising flux estimates for Earth-based detection.

Findings

Most strangelets are unstable baryon number A.

Flux of strangelets on Earth is much lower than earlier estimates.

Negative outlook for current strangelet search experiments.

Abstract

We assess the fragmentation of strange quark matter in astrophysical events, showing that the application of statistical multifragmentation models suggests that most of the fragments (strangelets) should belong to an unstable baryon number $A$. While there are some caveats to be addressed, the flux of strangelets onto the Earth could be orders of magnitude lower than previous estimates, with negative prospects for the ongoing search experiments.