Neutron stars (NSs) are interesting objects capable of reaching densities unattainable on Earth. The properties of matter under these conditions remain a mystery. Exotic matter, including quark matter, may be present in the NS core. In this work, we explore the possible compositions of NS cores, in particular, the possible existence of large quark cores. We use the relativistic mean-field (RMF) model with nonlinear terms for the hadron phase and the Nambu–Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model and mean-field theory of quantum chromodynamics (MFTQCD) for the quark phase. Through Bayesian inference, we obtain different sets of equations: four sets with hybrid equations and one set with only the hadron phase. We impose constraints regarding the properties of nuclear matter, x-ray observational data from NICER, gravitational wave data from the binary neutron star merger GW170817, perturbative QCD calculations, and causality. The MFTQCD allows for a phase transition to quark matter at low densities, just above saturation density, while for the NJL sets, the phase transition occurs above twice the saturation density. As a result, the MFTQCD model predicts the presence of quark matter in the inner core of $1.4M_{\odot }$ NSs, while NJL models suggest a low probability of quark matter in the interior of a $1.4M_{\odot }$ NS. Both models predict the existence of quark matter in $2M_{\odot }$ NSs. The slope of the mass-radius curve has been shown to carry information about the presence of quark matter. In particular, a positive slope at $1.8M_{\odot }$ indicates the presence of non-nucleonic matter. A hybrid star with a stiff quark equation of state could explain a larger radius in more massive stars, such as two solar mass stars, compared to canonical NSs.

Close

PrevNext

View figure in article

• Nuclear astrophysics
• Quantum chromodynamics
• Quark matter