Resolving phase transition properties of dense matter through tidal-excited g-mode from inspiralling neutron stars

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that gravitational wave signals from inspiraling neutron stars can reveal the phase transition in dense matter's core, offering a new observational probe for hadron-quark transitions.

Contribution

First consistent general-relativistic calculations of tidal g-modes in neutron stars with a phase transition, linking gravitational waves to dense matter properties.

Findings

Gravitational waves can probe the hadron-quark phase transition.

Tidal g-modes are sensitive to the phase transition in neutron star cores.

Current and future detectors can constrain dense matter models.

Abstract

The investigation of the phase state of dense matter is hindered by complications of first-principle nonperturbative quantum chromodynamics. By performing the first consistent general-relativistic calculations of tidal-excited g-mode of neutron stars with a first-order strong interaction phase transition in the high-density core, we demonstrate that gravitational wave signal during binary neutron star inspiral probes their innermost hadron-quark transition and provides potent constraints from present and future gravitational-wave detectors.