A Hydrodynamical Study on the Conversion of Hadronic Matter to Quark Matter: I. Shock-Induced Conversion

TL;DR

This study models the hydrodynamic transition of hadronic matter to quark matter triggered by shock waves, revealing conditions for different combustion modes and the possibility of endothermic conversion regimes in neutron star environments.

Contribution

It provides a detailed hydrodynamic analysis of shock-induced hadronic to quark matter conversion, including combustion modes and the impact of equations of state on the process.

Findings

Strong detonation always occurs during conversion.

Deconfinement may be incomplete in shock waves depending on EOS and density.

Endothermic combustion regime is possible, with no terrestrial counterpart.

Abstract

We study transitions of hadronic matter (HM) to 3-flavor quark matter (3QM) locally, regarding the conversion processes as combustion and describing them hydrodynamically. Not only the jump condition on both sides of the conversion front but the structures inside the front are also considered by taking into account what happens during the conversion processes on the time scale of weak interactions as well as equations of state (EOS's) in the mixed phase. Under the assumption that HM is metastable with their free energies being larger than those of 3QM but smaller than those of 2-flavor quark matter (2QM), we consider the transition via 2QM triggered by a rapid density rise in a shock wave. Based on the results, we discuss which combustion modes (strong/weak detonation) may be realized. HM is described by an EOS based on the relativistic mean field theory and 2, 3QM's are approximated by the MIT bag model. We demonstrate for a wide range of bag constant and strong coupling constant in this combination of EOS's that the combustion may occur in the so-called endothermic regime, in which the Hugoniot curve for combustion runs below the one for the shock wave in P-V plane, and which has no terrestrial counter part. We find that strong detonation always occurs. Depending on the EOS of quark matter (QM) as well as the density of HM and the Mach number of the detonation front, deconfinement from HM to 2QM is either completed or not completed in the shock wave. In the latter case, which is more likely if the EOS of QM ensures that deconfinement occurs above the nuclear saturation density and that the maximum mass of cold quark stars is larger than two solar mass, the conversion continues further via the mixing state of HM and 3QM on the time scale of weak interactions.