arXiv subjects

Laura Tolos

Publications and source records attributed to Laura Tolos.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Impact of a thermal medium on $D$ mesons and their chiral partners

We study $D$ and $D_s$ mesons at finite temperature using an effective field theory based on chiral and heavy-quark spin-flavor symmetries within the imaginary-time formalism. Interactions with the light degrees of freedom are unitarized via a Bethe-Salpeter approach, and the $D$ and $D_s$ self-energies are calculated self-consistently. We generate dynamically the $D^*_0(2300)$ and $D_s(2317)$ states, and study their possible identification as the chiral partners of the $D$ and $D_s$ ground states, respectively. We show the evolution of their masses and decay widths as functions of temperature, and provide an analysis of the chiral-symmetry restoration in the heavy-flavor sector below the transition temperature. In particular, we analyse the very special case of the $D$-meson, for which the chiral partner is associated to the double-pole structure of the $D^*_0(2300)$.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2020

Strangeness in Nuclei and Neutron Stars

We review the present status of the experimental and theoretical developments in the field of strangeness in nuclei and neutron stars. We start by discussing the $\bar K N$ interaction, that is governed by the presence of the $Λ(1405)$. We continue by showing the two-pole nature of the $Λ(1405)$, and the production mechanisms in photon-, pion-, kaon-induced reactions as well as proton-proton collisions, while discussing the formation of $\bar K NN$ bound states. We then move to the theoretical and experimental analysis of the properties of kaons and antikaons in dense nuclear matter, paying a special attention to kaonic atoms and the analysis of strangeness creation and propagation in nuclear collisions. Next, we examine the $ϕ$ meson and the advances in photoproduction, proton-induced and pion-induced reactions, so as to understand its properties in dense matter. Finally, we address the dynamics of hyperons with nucleons and nuclear matter, and the connection to the phases of dense matter with strangeness in the interior of neutron stars.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2020

On the change of old neutron star masses with galactocentric distance

We show that the pulsar mass depends on the environment, and that it decreases going towards the center of the Milky Way. This is due to two combined effects, the capture and accumulation of self-interacting, non-annihilating dark matter by pulsars, and the increase of the dark matter density going towards the galactic center. We show that mass decrease depends both on the density profile of dark matter, steeper profiles producing a faster and larger decrease of the pulsar mass, and on the strength of self-interaction. Once future observations will provide the pulsar mass in a dark matter rich environment, close to the galactic center, the present result will be able to put constraints on the characteristics of our Galaxy halo dark matter profile, on the nature of dark matter, namely on its annihilating or non-annihilating nature, on its strength of self-interaction, and on the particle mass.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2019

Properties of heavy mesons at finite temperature

We study the properties of heavy mesons using a unitarized approach in a hot pionic medium, based on an effective hadronic theory. The interaction between the heavy mesons and pseudoscalar Goldstone bosons is described by a chiral Lagrangian at next-to-leading order in the chiral expansion and leading order in the heavy-quark mass expansion so as to satisfy heavy-quark spin symmetry. The meson-meson scattering problem in coupled channels with finite-temperature corrections is solved in a self-consistent manner. Our results show that the masses of the ground-state charmed mesons $D(0^-)$ and $D_s(1^-)$ decrease in a pionic environment at $T\neq 0$ and they acquire a substantial width. As a consequence, the behaviour of excited mesonic states (i.e. $D_{s0}^*(2317)^\pm$ and $D_0^*(2300)^{0,\pm}$), generated dynamically in our heavy-light molecular model, is also modified at $T\neq 0$. The aim is to test our results against Lattice QCD calculations in the future.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2019

Interplay between $Δ$ Particles and Hyperons in Neutron Stars

We analyze the effects of including $Δ(1232)$ isobars in an equation of state (EoS) for cold, $β$-stable neutron star matter, employing relativistic nuclear mean field theory. The selected EoS reproduces the properties of nuclear matter and finite nuclei and, in the astrophysical context, allows for the presence of hyperons in neutron stars having masses larger than 2$M_{\odot}$. We find that the composition and structure of neutron stars is critically influenced by the addition of the $Δ$ isobars, which allows us to constrain their interaction with the meson fields taking into account astrophysical information. Imposing that the EoS is stable and ensures the existence of 2$M_{\odot}$ neutron stars, as well as requiring agreement with data of $Δ$ excitation in nuclei, we find that, in the absence of other mechanisms stiffening the EoS at high densities, the interaction of the $Δ$ isobars with the sigma and omega meson fields must be at least 10\% stronger than that of the nucleons. Moreover, the neutron star moment of inertia turns out to be sensitive to the presence of $Δ$ isobars, whereas the inclusion of $Δ$ isobars in the EoS allows for smaller stellar radii and for a lower value of the tidal deformability consistent with the analysis of the GW170817 merger event.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Constraining twin stars with GW170817

If a phase transition is allowed to take place in the core of a compact star, a new stable branch of equilibrium configurations can appear, providing solutions with the same mass as the purely hadronic branch and hence giving rise to twin-star configurations. We perform an extensive analysis of the features of the phase transition leading twin-star configurations and, at the same time, fulfilling the constraints coming from the maximum mass of $2M_\odot$ and the information following gravitational-wave event GW170817. In particular, we use a general equation of state for the neutron-star matter that parametrizes the hadron-quark phase transition between the model describing the hadronic phase and a constant speed of sound for the quark phase. We find that the largest number of twin-star solutions has masses in the neutron-star branch in the range $1-2M_\odot$ and twin-branch masses $\gtrsim 2M_\odot$. The analysis of the masses, radii and tidal deformabilities also reveals that when twin stars appear, the tidal deformability shows two distinct branches with the same mass, thus differing considerably from the behaviour expected for neutron stars. In addition, we find that the data from GW170817 is compatible with the existence of hybrid stars and could also be interpreted as produced by the merger of a binary system of hybrid stars or of a hybrid star with a neutron star. The presence of a hybrid star in the inspiral phase can be established clearly if future gravitational-wave detections measure chirp masses $\mathcal{M}\lesssim 1.2M_\odot$ and tidal deformabilities of $Λ_{1.4}\lesssim 400$ for $1.4M_\odot$ stars. Finally, combining all observational information available, we set constraints on the parameters that characterise the phase transition, the maximum masses, and the radii of $1.4M_\odot$ stars described by equations of state leading to twin-star configurations.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

The Equation of State and Cooling of Hyperonic Neutron Stars

We present two recent parametrizations of the equation of state (FSU2R and FSU2H models) that reproduce the properties of nuclear matter and finite nuclei, fulfill constraints on high-density matter stemming from heavy-ion collisions, produce 2$M_{\odot}$ neutron stars, and generate neutron star radii below 13 km. Making use of these equations of state, cooling simulations for isolated neutron stars are performed. We find that two of the models studied, FSU2R (with nucleons) and, in particular, FSU2H (with nucleons and hyperons), show very good agreement with cooling observations, even without including nucleon pairing. This indicates that cooling observations are compatible with an equation of state that produces a soft nuclear symmetry energy and, thus, generates small neutron star radii. Nevertheless, both schemes produce cold isolated neutron stars with masses above $1.8 M_{\odot}$.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2019

Dark compact objects: an extensive overview

We study the structure of compact objects that contain non-self annihilating, self-interacting dark matter admixed with ordinary matter made of neutron star and white dwarf materials. We extend the previous work Phys. Rev. D 92 123002 (2015) on these dark compact objects by analyzing the effect of weak and strongly interacting dark matter with particle masses in the range of 1-500 GeV, so as to set some constraints in the strength of the interaction and the mass of the dark matter particle. We find that the total mass of the compact objects increases with decreasing dark matter particle mass. In the strong interacting case and for dark matter particle masses in the range 1-10 GeV, the total mass of the compact objects largely exceeds the $2M_\odot$ constraint for neutron star masses and the nominal $1M_\odot$for white dwarfs, while for larger dark matter particle masses or in the weakly interacting case the compact objects show masses in agreement or smaller than these constraints, thus hinting at the exclusion of strongly self-interacting dark matter of masses 1-10 GeV in the interior of these compact objects. Moreover, we observe that the smaller the dark matter particle mass, the larger the quantity of dark matter captured is, putting constraints on the dark matter mass trapped in the compact objects so as to fullfill $\simeq 2M_\odot$ observations. Finally, the inhomogeneity of distribution of dark matter in the Galaxy implies a mass dependence of compact objects from the environment which can be used to put constraints on the characteristics of the Galaxy halo DM profile and on particle mass. In view of the these results, we discuss the formation of the dark compact objects in an homogeneous and non-homogeneous dark matter environment.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2018

Relativistic parameterizations of neutron matter and implications for neutron stars

We construct parameter sets of the relativistic mean-field model fitted to the recent constraints on the asymmetry energy $J$ and the slope parameter $L$ for pure neutron matter. We find cases of unphysical behaviour, i.e.\ the appearance of negative pressures, for stiff parameter sets with low values of the effective mass $m^*/m$. In some cases the equation of state of pure neutron matter turns out to be outside the allowed band given by chiral effective field theory. The mass-radius relations of neutron stars for all acceptable parameter sets shows a maximum mass in excess of $2M_\odot$ being compatible with pulsar mass measurements. Given the constraints on the model in the low-density regime coming from chiral effective theory, we find that the radius of a $1.4M_\odot$ neutron star is nearly independent on the value of $L$. This is in contrast to some previous claims for a strong connection of the slope parameter with the radius of a neutron star. In fact, the mass-radius relation turns out to depend only on the isoscalar parameters of symmetric matter. The constraints of GW170817 on the tidal deformability and on the radius are also discussed.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

$Ω_c$ excited states: a molecular approach with heavy-quark spin symmetry

The LHCb Collaboration has recently discovered five excited $Ω_c$ states with masses between 3 and 3.1 GeV, four of them corroborated by the Belle Collaboration. We analyse the dynamical generation of these states within a molecular baryon-meson model that is consistent with both chiral and heavy-quark spin symmetries. Earlier predictions within this model found five $Ω_c$ states with masses below 3 GeV. Thus, in order to study the possible identification of any of these states with the experimental ones in the correct energy region, we explore two different regularization schemes, that is, a modified regularization subtraction method and a cutoff regularization scheme. We find that at least three of the dynamically generated states can be identified with the experimental ones and have spin-parity $J=1/2^-$ or $J=3/2^-$

hep-ph↗

arXiv2018

Dense matter with eXTP

In this White Paper we present the potential of the Enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry (eXTP) mission for determining the nature of dense matter; neutron star cores host an extreme density regime which cannot be replicated in a terrestrial laboratory. The tightest statistical constraints on the dense matter equation of state will come from pulse profile modelling of accretion-powered pulsars, burst oscillation sources, and rotation-powered pulsars. Additional constraints will derive from spin measurements, burst spectra, and properties of the accretion flows in the vicinity of the neutron star. Under development by an international Consortium led by the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Science, the eXTP mission is expected to be launched in the mid 2020s.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

$Ω_c$ excited states with heavy-quark spin symmetry

We study the $C=1$, $S=-2$, $I=0$ sector, where five excited $Ω_c$ states have been recently observed by the LHCb Collaboration. We start from a recently developed unitarized baryon-meson model that takes, as bare baryon-meson interaction, an extended Weinberg-Tomozawa kernel consistent with both chiral and heavy-quark spin symmetries. This ${\rm SU(6)} \times {\rm HQSS}$ scheme leads to a successful description of the observed lowest-lying odd parity charmed $Λ_c$(2595) and $Λ_c$(2625) states, and bottomed $Λ_b$(5912) and $Λ_b$(5920) resonances. Within this model, five odd-parity $Ω_c$ states are dynamically generated, but with masses below 3 GeV, not allowing for an identification with the observed LHCb resonances. We revise this model and explore two different scenarios for the renormalization scheme, that is, using a modified common energy scale to perform the subtractions or utilizing a common ultraviolet cutoff to render finite the ultraviolet divergent loop functions in all channels. In both cases, we show that some (at least three) of the dynamically generated states can be identified with the experimental $Ω_c$, while having odd parity and $J=1/2$ or $J=3/2$. Two of these states turn out to be part of the same ${\rm SU(6)} \times {\rm HQSS}$ multiplets as the charmed and bottomed $Λ$ baryons.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2018

Cooling of Small and Massive Hyperonic Stars

We perform cooling simulations for isolated neutron stars using recently developed equations of state for their core. The equations of state are obtained from new parametrizations of the FSU2 relativistic mean-field functional that reproduce the properties of nuclear matter and finite nuclei, while fulfilling the restrictions on high-density matter deduced from heavy-ion collisions, measurements of massive 2$M_{\odot}$ neutron stars, and neutron star radii below 13 km. We find that two of the models studied, FSU2R (with nucleons) and in particular FSU2H (with nucleons and hyperons), show very good agreement with cooling observations, even without including extensive nucleon pairing. This suggests that the cooling observations are more compatible with an equation of state that produces a soft nuclear symmetry energy and, hence, generates small neutron star radii. However, both models favor large stellar masses, above $1.8 M_{\odot}$, to explain the colder isolated neutron stars that have been observed, even if nucleon pairing is present.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

The charming beauty of the strong interaction

Charmed and beauty hadrons in matter are discussed within a unitarized coupled-channel model consistent with heavy-quark spin symmetry. We analyse the formation of D-mesic states as well as the propagation of charmed and beauty hadrons in heavy-ion collisions from LHC to FAIR energies.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2017

The Equation of State for the Nucleonic and Hyperonic Core of Neutron Stars

We reexamine the equation of state for the nucleonic and hyperonic inner core of neutron stars that satisfies the 2$M_{\odot}$ observations as well as the recent determinations of stellar radii below 13 km, while fulfilling the saturation properties of nuclear matter and finite nuclei together with the constraints on the high-density nuclear pressure coming from heavy-ion collisions. The recent nucleonic FSU2R and hyperonic FSU2H models are fine tuned improving the density dependence of pure neutron matter at subsaturation densities. The corresponding nuclear matter properties at saturation, the symmetry energy and its slope turn out to be compatible with recent experimental and theoretical determinations. We obtain the mass, radius and composition of neutron stars for the two updated models and study the impact on these properties of the uncertainties in the hyperon-nucleon couplings estimated from hypernuclear data. We find that the onset of appearance of each hyperon strongly depends on the hyperon-nuclear uncertainties, whereas the maximum masses for neutron stars differ by at most 0.1 $M_{\odot}$, although a larger deviation should be expected tied to the lack of knowledge of the hyperon potentials at the high densities present in the center of $2 M_\odot$ stars. For easier use, we provide tables with the results from the FSU2R and FSU2H models for the equation of state and the neutron star mass-radius relation.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

Hadrons in Nuclei

A review on the state-of-the-art of heavy hadrons in nuclei is presented. In particular, the properties of mesons with strangeness and charm in matter are discussed, paying a special attention to the formation of exotic bound states in nuclei.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2017

Medium modification of strange hadronic resonances at SIS, RHIC and LHC energies

The properties of strange pseudoscalar and vectors mesons as well as strange baryon resonances in dense matter are reviewed. Some open questions on the properties of strange hadrons in medium are addressed, such as the experimental signatures of in-medium effects coming from the hadronic phase on the final observables in heavy-ion collisions for the experimental conditions at SIS, RHIC and LHC energies.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2017

Single electrons from heavy-flavor mesons in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

We study the single electron spectra from $D-$ and $B-$meson semileptonic decays in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=$200, 62.4, and 19.2 GeV by employing the parton-hadron-string dynamics (PHSD) transport approach that has been shown to reasonably describe the charm dynamics at RHIC and LHC energies on a microscopic level. In this approach the initial heavy quarks are produced by using the PYTHIA which is tuned to reproduce the FONLL calculations. The produced heavy quarks interact with off-shell massive partons in QGP with scattering cross sections which are calculated in the dynamical quasi-particle model (DQPM). At energy densities close to the critical energy density the heavy quarks are hadronized into heavy mesons through either coalescence or fragmentation. After hadronization the heavy mesons interact with the light hadrons by employing the scattering cross sections from an effective Lagrangian. The final heavy mesons then produce single electrons through semileptonic decay. We find that the PHSD approach well describes the nuclear modification factor $R_{\rm AA}$ and elliptic flow $v_2$ of single electrons in d+Au and Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=$ 200 GeV and the elliptic flow in Au+Au reactions at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=$ 62.4 GeV from the PHENIX collaboration, however, the large $R_{\rm AA}$ at $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=$ 62.4 GeV is not described at all. Furthermore, we make predictions for the $R_{\rm AA}$ of $D-$mesons and of single electrons at the lower energy of $\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}}=$ 19.2 GeV. Additionally, the medium modification of the azimuthal angle $ϕ$ between a heavy quark and a heavy antiquark is studied. We find that the transverse flow enhances the azimuthal angular distributions close to $ϕ=$ 0 because the heavy flavors strongly interact with nuclear medium in relativistic heavy-ion collisions and almost flow with the bulk matter.

nucl-th↗