Phase transitions and latent heat in magnetized matter

TL;DR

This paper investigates how strong magnetic fields influence the phase transition between hadronic and quark matter in compact stars, focusing on changes in pressure, chemical potential, and latent heat within a QCD-inspired framework.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of magnetic field effects on phase transitions in dense matter using the MIT model and quantum hadrodynamics, highlighting model-dependent variations.

Findings

Magnetic fields slightly lower the phase transition pressure and chemical potential.

Latent heat of the transition is highly sensitive to model parameters.

Magnetic effects on phase transition are modest but relevant for astrophysical models.

Abstract

Based on the assumption that the QCD phase diagram gives a realistic picture of hadronic and quark matter under different regimes, it is possible to claim that a quark core may be present inside compact objects commonly named hybrid neutron stars or even that a pure strange star may exist. In this work we explore how the phase transition is modified by the presence of strong magnetic fields and how it is impacted by parameters of the quark phase, for which we use the MIT-model with vector interactions. The phase transition is assumed to conserve flavor when hadrons turn into deconfined quarks. The hadronic equation of state is calculated with the NL3$\omega\rho^\ast$ parametrization of quantum hadrodynamics. We find that the magnetic field slightly reduces the pressure and chemical potential of the phase transition and the latent heat, the latter being very model dependent.