Counting States: A Combinatorial Analysis of SQM Fragmentation

TL;DR

This paper develops a novel combinatorial method to analyze the fragmentation of strange quark matter (SQM), tracking quark configurations to better understand nucleosynthesis outcomes after neutron star mergers.

Contribution

It introduces a new methodology to estimate fragment energies by considering quark configurations, Coulomb interactions, and momenta, enhancing the understanding of SQM fragmentation.

Findings

A new combinatorial approach to SQM fragmentation analysis.

Quantitative estimates of fragment energies considering quark configurations.

Insights into the nucleosynthesis process following SQM release.

Abstract

The Strange Quark matter (SQM) hypothesis states that at extreme pressure and density conditions a new ground state of matter would arise, in which half of the \textit{down} quarks become strange quarks. If true, it would mean that at least the core of neutron stars is made of SQM. In this hypothesis, SQM would be released in the inter-stellar medium when two of these objects merge. It is estimated that $10^{-2} M\odot$ of SQM would be released this way. This matter will undergo a sequence of processes that should result in a fraction of the released SQM becoming heavy nuclei through \textit{r-process}. In this work we are interested in characterizing the fragmentation of SQM, with the novelty of keeping track of the \textit{quark configuration} of the fragmented matter. This is accomplished by developing a methodology to estimate the energy of each fragment as the sum of its \textit{constituent quarks}, the Coulomb interaction among the quarks and fragments' momenta. The determination of the fragmentation output is crucial to fully characterize the subsequent nucleosynthesis.