Strange Matter: a state before black hole

TL;DR

This paper explores the state of compressed baryonic matter before black hole formation, proposing that strange matter could exist in pulsars, cosmic rays, and dark matter, challenging traditional views of black hole precursors.

Contribution

It introduces the hypothesis that strange matter may be the true state of matter before black hole formation, extending the understanding of compact objects and cosmic phenomena.

Findings

Strange matter could manifest as pulsars, cosmic rays, and dark matter.

The state of baryonic matter before black hole formation remains poorly understood.

Strange matter hypothesis offers a new perspective on compact star composition.

Abstract

Normal baryonic matter inside an evolved massive star can be intensely compressed by gravity after a supernova. General relativity predicts formation of a black hole if the core material is compressed into a singularity, but the real state of such compressed baryonic matter (CBM) before an event horizon of black hole appears is not yet well understood because of the non-perturbative nature of the fundamental strong interaction. Certainly, the rump left behind after a supernova explosion could manifest as a pulsar if its mass is less than the unknown maximum mass, $M_{\rm max}$. It is conjectured that pulsar-like compact stars are made of strange matter (i.e., with 3-flavour symmetry), where quarks are still localized as in the case of nuclear matter. In principle, different manifestations of pulsar-like objects could be explained in the regime of this conjecture. Besides compact stars, strange matter could also be manifested in the form of cosmic rays and even dark matter.