arXiv subjects

Giuseppe Pagliara

Publications and source records attributed to Giuseppe Pagliara.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

The merger of two compact stars: a tool for dense matter nuclear physics

We discuss the different signals, in gravitational and electromagnetic waves, emitted during the merger of two compact stars. We will focus in particular on the possible contraints that those signals can provide on the equation of state of dense matter. Indeed, the stiffness of the equation of state and the particle composition of the merging compact stars, strongly affect e.g. the life time of the post-merger remnant and its gravitational wave signal, the emission of the short gamma-ray-burst, the amount of ejected mass and the related kilonova. The first detection of gravitational waves from the merger of two compact stars in August 2017, GW170817, and the subsequent detections of its electromagnetic counterparts, GRB170817A and AT2017gfo, is the first example of the era of "multi-messenger astronomy": we discuss what we have learned from this detection on the equation of state of compact stars and we provide a tentative interpretation of this event, within the two families scenario, as due to the merger of a hadronic star with a quark star.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

A multi-messenger analysis of neutron star mergers

The merger of two neutron stars is a very complex process. In order to disentangle the various steps through which it takes place it is mandatory to examine all the signals we can detect: gravitational waves and electromagnetic waves, in a huge spectrum ranging from X and $γ$-rays down to infrared and radio. Each of these signals provides a message and the totality of this information will allow us not only to understand the process of the merger but also the behavior of matter at those extreme conditions.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

Merger of two neutron stars: predictions from the two-families scenario

If only one family of "neutron stars" exists, their maximum mass must be equal or larger than $2 M_\odot$ and then only in less than about $18\%$ of cases the outcome of the merger of two neutron stars is a direct collapse to a black hole, since the newly formed system can avoid the collapse at least until differential rotation is present. In the so-called two-families scenario, stars made of hadrons are stable only up to about $1.5-1.6 M_\odot$, while the most massive compact stars are entirely made of strange quark matter. We show that in this scenario the outcome of the merger of two neutron stars is a prompt collapse in at least $34\%$ of the cases. It will therefore be easy to discriminate between the two scenarios once the gravitational waves emitted at the moment of the merger are detected.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

Strange quark stars in binaries: formation rates, mergers and explosive phenomena

The existence of strange quark stars has been proposed many years ago. More recently, the possible co-existence of a first family composed of "normal" neutron stars with a second family of strange quark stars has been proposed as a solution of problems related to the maximum mass and to the minimal radius of these compact stellar objects. In this paper we study the mass distribution of compact objects formed in binary systems and the relative fractions of quark and neutron stars in different subpopulations. We incorporate the strange quark star formation model provided by the two-families scenario and we perform a large-scale population synthesis study in order to obtain the population characteristics. In our model, below a critical gravitational mass $M_\mathrm{max}^H- ΔM$ only normal (hadron) neutron stars exist. Then in the mass range $(M_\mathrm{max}^H- ΔM) \leqslant M \leqslant M_\mathrm{max}^H$ strange quark stars and neutron stars coexist. Finally, above $M_\mathrm{max}^H$ all compact objects are strange quark stars. We argue that $M_\mathrm{max}^H$ is in the range $\sim 1.5-1.6 M_\odot$. According to our results, the main channel for strange quark star formation in binary systems is accretion from a secondary companion on a neutron star.This opens the possibility of having explosive GRB-like phenomena not related to supernovae and not due to the merger of two neutron stars. The enhancement in the number of compact objects in the co-existence mass range $(M_\mathrm{max}^H- ΔM) \leqslant M \leqslant M_\mathrm{max}^H$ is not very pronounced. The number of double strange quark star's systems is rather small with only a tiny fraction which merge within a Hubble time. This drastically limits the flux of strangelets produced by the merger, which turns out to be compatible with all limits stemming from Earth and lunar experiments.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

Neutron stars in the large-$N_{c}$ limit

We study the phase transition from dense baryonic matter to dense quark matter within the large-$N_{c}$ limit. By using simple constant speed of sound equations of state for the two phases, we derive the scaling with $N_{c}$ of the critical quark chemical potential $μ_{c}^{\mathrm{crit}}$ for this phase transition. While quark matter is strongly suppressed at large $N_{c}$, the phase transition at a large but finite density could nevertheless be important to determine the maximum mass of compact stars. In particular, in the range $3\leq N_{c}\lesssim5.5$ the quark phase would take place in compact stars and would lead to the formation of an unstable branch of hybrid stars. As a consequence, the maximum mass is restricted to the range $2.1M_{\odot}<M_{max}<3M_{\odot}$. For larger value of $N_{c}$, the phase transition would occur at densities too high to be reached in the core of compact stars. However, the very requirement that it occurs (although at a very large density) translates into interesting constraints on the stiffness of the baryonic phase: its speed of sound must exceed $\sqrt{1/3}$.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2016

Conditions for the existence of stable strange quark matter

We discuss the possible existence of absolutely stable strange quark matter within three different types of chiral models. We will show that confinement plays a crucial role in determining the conditions for the Bodmer-Witten hypothesis to hold true. We discuss also which are the phenomenological signatures, related to measurements of masses and radii of compact stars, which would prove the existence of strange quark stars.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2016

Anomalies in weak decays of H-like ions

We investigate the emergence of oscillations in the decay law of unstable systems. We discuss in particular the case of the so-called GSI anomaly seen in the electron capture decays of H-like ions and prove that such oscillations cannot be explained by neutrino oscillations. We then discuss how such anomalies could be intimately related to the decay law of unstable systems in the case in which their spectral function deviates from a Breit-Wigner shape.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2015

The scenario of two families of compact stars 1. Equations of state, mass-radius relations and binary systems

We present several arguments which favor the scenario of two coexisting families of compact stars: hadronic stars and quark stars. Besides the well known hyperon puzzle of the physics of compact stars, a similar puzzle exists also when considering delta resonances. We show that these particles appear at densities close to twice saturation density and must be therefore included in the calculations of the hadronic equation of state. Such an early appearance is strictly related to the value of the L parameter of the symmetry energy that has been found, in recent phenomenological studies, to lie in the range $40<L<62$ MeV. We discuss also the threshold for the formation of deltas and hyperons for hot and lepton rich hadronic matter. Similarly to the case of hyperons, also delta resonances cause a softening of the equation of state which makes it difficult to obtain massive hadronic stars. Quark stars, on the other hand, can reach masses up to $2.75 M_{\odot}$ as predicted by perturbative QCD calculations. We then discuss the observational constraints on the masses and the radii of compact stars. The tension between the precise measurements of high masses and the indications of the existence of very compact stellar objects (with radii of the order of $10$ km) is relieved when assuming that very massive compact stars are quark stars and very compact stars are hadronic stars. Finally, we discuss recent interesting measurements of the eccentricities of the orbits of millisecond pulsars in low mass X-ray binaries. The high values of the eccentricities found in some cases could be explained by assuming that the hadronic star, initially present in the binary system, converts to a quark star due to the increase of its central density.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2015

The scenario of two families of compact stars 2. Transition from hadronic to quark matter and explosive phenomena

We will follow the two-families scenario described in the accompanying paper, in which compact stars having a very small radius and masses not exceeding about 1.5$M_\odot$ are made of hadrons, while more massive compact stars are quark stars. In the present paper we discuss the dynamics of the transition of a hadronic star into a quark star. We will show that the transition takes place in two phases: a very rapid one, lasting a few milliseconds, during which the central region of the star converts into quark matter and the process of conversion is accelerated by the existence of strong hydrodynamical instabilities, and a second phase, lasting about ten seconds, during which the process of conversion proceeds till the surface of the star via production and diffusion of strangeness. We will show that these two steps play a crucial role in the phenomenological implications of the model. We will discuss the possible implications of this scenario both for long and for short Gamma Ray Bursts, using the proto-magnetar model as the reference frame of our discussion. We will show that the process of quark deconfinement can be connected to specific observed features of the GRBs. In the case of long GRBs we will discuss the possibility that quark deconfinement is at the origin of the second peak present in quite a large fraction of bursts. Also we will discuss the possibility that long GRBs can take place in binary systems without being associated with a SN explosion. Concerning short GRBs, quark deconfinement can play the crucial role in limiting their duration. Finally we will shortly revisit the possible relevance of quark deconfinement in some specific type of Supernova explosions, in particular in the case of very massive progenitors.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2015

Quark deconfinement and the duration of short Gamma Ray Bursts

We propose a model for short duration gamma-ray bursts (sGRBs) based on the formation of a quark star after the merger of two neutron stars. We assume that the sGRB central engine is a proto-magnetar, which has been previously invoked to explain the plateau-like X-ray emission observed following both long and short GRBs. Here, we show that: i) a few milliseconds after the merger it is possible to form a stable and massive star made in part of quarks; ii) during the early cooling phase of the incompletely formed quark star, the flux of baryons ablated from the surface by neutrinos is large and it does not allow the outflow to achieve a bulk Lorentz factor high enough to produce a GRB; iii) after the quark burning front reaches the stellar surface, baryon ablation ceases and the jet becomes too baryon poor to produce a GRB; iv) however, between these two phases a GRB can be produced over the finite timescale required for the baryon pollution to cease; a characteristic timescale of the order of $\sim 0.1 $ s naturally results from the time the conversion front needs to cover the distance between the rotational pole and the latitude of the last closed magnetic field line; v) we predict a correlation between the luminosity of the sGRB and its duration, consistent with the data; vi) our model also predicts a delay of the order of ten seconds between the time of the merger event and the sGRB, allowing for the possibility of precursor emission and implying that the jet will encounter the dense cocoon formed immediately after the merger.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2015

Combustion of a hadronic star into a quark star: the turbulent and the diffusive regimes

We argue that the full conversion of a hadronic star into a quark or a hybrid star occurs within two different regimes separated by a critical value of the density of the hadronic phase $\overline{n_h}$. The first stage, occurring for $n_h>\overline{n_h}$, is characterized by turbulent combustion and lasts typically a few ms. During this short time-scale neutrino cooling is basically inactive and the star heats up thanks to the heat released in the conversion. In the second stage, occurring for $n_h<\overline{n_h}$, turbulence is not active anymore, and the conversion proceeds on a much longer time scale (of the order of tens of seconds), with a velocity regulated by the diffusion and the production of strange quarks. At the same time, neutrino cooling is also active. The interplay between the heating of the star due to the slow conversion of its outer layers (with densities smaller than $\overline{n_h}$) and the neutrino cooling of the forming quark star leads to a quasi-plateau in the neutrino luminosity which, if observed, would possibly represent a unique signature for the existence of quark matter inside compact stars. We will discuss the phenomenological implications of this scenario in particular in connection with the time structure of long gamma-ray-bursts.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2015

Strangeness production in heavy-ion collisions

A study of the "horn" in the particle ratio $K^+/π^+$ for central heavy-ion collisions as a function of the collision energy $\sqrt{s}$ is presented. We analyse two different interpretations: the onset of deconfinement and the transition from a baryon- to a meson-dominated hadron gas. We use a realistic equation of state (EOS), which includes both hadron and quark degrees-of-freedom. The Taub-adiabate procedure is followed to determine the system at the early stage. Our results do not support an explanation of the horn as due to the onset of deconfinement. Using only hadronic EOS we reproduced the energy dependence of the $K^+/π^+$ and $Λ/π^-$ ratios employing an experimental parametrisation of the freeze-out curve. We observe a transition between a baryon- and a meson-dominated regime; however, the reproduction of the $K^+/π^+$ and $Λ/π^-$ ratios as a function of $\sqrt{s}$ is not completely satisfying. We finally propose a new idea for the interpretation of the data, the roll-over scheme, in which the scalar meson field $σ$ has not reached the thermal equilibrium at freeze-out. The rool-over scheme for the equilibration of the $σ$-field is based on the inflation mechanism. The non-equilibrium evolution of the scalar field influences the particle production, e.g. $K^+/π^+$, however, the fixing of the free parameters in this model is still an open issue.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2014

Influence of the measurement on the decay law: the bang-bang case

After reviewing the description of an unstable state in the framework of nonrelativistic Quantum Mechanics (QM) and relativistic Quantum Field Theory (QFT), we consider the effect of pulsed, ideal measurements repeated at equal time intervals on the lifetime of an unstable system. In particular, we investigate the case in which the `bare' survival probability is an exact exponential (a very good approximation in both QM and QFT), but the measurement apparatus can detect the decay products only in a certain energy range. We show that the Quantum Zeno Effect can occur in this framework as well.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Is there a "$Δ$-isobar puzzle" in the physics of neutron stars?

We discuss the formation of $Δ$ isobars in neutron star matter. We show that their threshold density strictly correlates with the density derivative of the symmetry energy of nuclear matter, the $L$ parameter. By restricting $L$ to the range of values indicated by recent experimental and theoretical analysis, i.e. $40$ MeV $\lesssim L \lesssim 62$ MeV, we find that $Δ$ isobars appear at a density of the order of 2$÷$3 times nuclear matter saturation density, i.e. the same range for the appearance of hyperons. The range of values of the couplings of the $Δ$s with the mesons is restricted by the analysis of the data obtained from photoabsorption, electron and pion scattering on nuclei. If the potential of the $Δ$ in nuclear matter is close to the one indicated by the experimental data then the equation of state becomes soft enough that a "$Δ$ puzzle" exists, similar to the "hyperon puzzle" widely discussed in the literature.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2014

Pulsed and continuous measurements of exponentially decaying systems

We study the influence of a detector on the decay law of a quantum state whose "undisturbed" survival probability is purely exponential. In particular, we consider a detector with a finite energy band of detection, i.e. it interacts only with decay products having an energy within a certain range of values. In one case, we assume that the detector performs many repeated measurements at short time intervals in all of which a collapse of the wave function occurs (bang-bang or pulsed-type measurements). In the second case, we assume a continuous measurement which preserves unitarity. We confirm the slowing down of the decay in presence of a measuring apparatus, the Quantum Zeno effect, but the outcomes of the detector are in general qualitatively and quantitatively different in the two cases. In turn, this implies that the so-called Schulman relation (the equivalence of pulsed and continuous measurements) does not hold in general and that it is in principle possible to experimentally access how a certain detector performs a measurement.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Dense hadronic matter in neutron stars

The existence of stars with masses up to $2 M_{\odot}$ and the hints of the existence of stars with radii smaller than $\sim 11$ km seem to require, at the same time, a stiff and a soft hadronic equation of state at large densities. We argue that these two apparently contradicting constraints are actually an indication of the existence of two families of compact stars: hadronic stars which could be very compact and quark stars which could be very massive. In this respect, a crucial role is played, in the hadronic equation of state, by the delta isobars whose early appearance shifts to large densities the formation of hyperons. We also discuss how recent experimental information on the symmetry energy of nuclear matter at saturation indicate, indirectly, an early appearance of delta isobars in neutron star matter.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2014

EMMI Rapid Reaction Task Force Meeting on 'Quark Matter in Compact Star'

The recent measurement of two solar mass pulsars has initiated an intense discussion on its impact on our understanding of the high-density matter in the cores of neutron stars. A task force meeting was held from October 7-10, 2013 at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies to address the presence of quark matter in these massive stars. During this meeting, the recent oservational astrophysical data and heavy-ion data was reviewed. The possibility of pure quark stars, hybrid stars and the nature of the QCD phase transition were discussed and their observational signals delineated.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2014

Can very compact and very massive neutron stars both exist?

The existence of neutron stars with masses of $\sim 2\,M_{\odot}$ requires a stiff equation of state at high densities. On the other hand, the necessary appearance also at high densities of new degrees of freedom, such as hyperons and $Δ$ resonances, can lead to a strong softening of the equation of state with resulting maximum masses of $\sim 1.5\, M_{\odot}$ and radii smaller than $\sim 10$ km. Hints for the existence of compact stellar objects with very small radii have been found in recent statistical analysis of quiescent low-mass X-ray binaries in globular clusters. We propose an interpretation of these two apparently contradicting measurements, large masses and small radii, in terms of two separate families of compact stars: hadronic stars, whose equation of state is soft, can be very compact, while quark stars, whose equation of state is stiff, can be very massive. In this respect an early appearance of $Δ$ resonances is crucial to guarantee the stability of the branch of hadronic stars. Our proposal could be tested by measurements of radii with an error of $\sim 1$ km, which is within reach of the planned LOFT satellite, and it would be further strengthened by the discovery of compact stars heavier than $\sim 2\,M_{\odot}$.

nucl-th↗