arXiv subjects

Yong-Liang Ma

Publications and source records attributed to Yong-Liang Ma.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

White dwarf-neutron star matter transition and the effect of light elements

White dwarfs and neutron stars are unique laboratories for dense nuclear matter physics. We develop a single relativistic mean-field framework that treats both classes of compact star, and the transition between them, on the same footing: the nuclei of white-dwarf matter are solved self-consistently as Wigner-Seitz cells with the full electromagnetic interaction, while the same Lagrangian yields the uniform nuclear matter of the neutron-star interior. Within this unified description we compute light-element white dwarfs seeded by $^4$He, $^{12}$C, and $^{16}$O, following each fixed-$A$ sequence along its neutronization path and connecting it to the neutron-star branch through exact Maxwell junctions, from which the corresponding mass-radius relations are derived. The helium- and carbon-seeded white-dwarf sequences attain maximum masses of ${\sim}1.4\,M_\odot$ and ${\sim}1.0\,M_\odot$, respectively. On the neutron-star branch, the retained light-element envelope changes the predicted radii only at the percent level---by approximately $0.2~$km at $1.4\,M_\odot$, within current observational uncertainties. Providing a consistent zero-temperature equation of state from white-dwarf to neutron-star densities, this unified framework offers a natural starting point for studies of white-dwarf--neutron-star binary mergers, progenitor-star evolution, decihertz gravitational-wave sources, and related multimessenger phenomena.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2026

NNStar: An end-to-end AI agent for nuclear matter and neutron star physics

Constraining the equation of state of dense matter requires confronting effective models with massive data that spans many orders of magnitude in scale, from sub-saturation nuclear matter properties to the masses, radii, and tidal deformabilities of neutron stars. Exploring the high-dimensional coupling space of such a model and fine tuning it against all of these constraints is a labor- and time-intensive task. We present \textsc{NNStar}, an end-to-end artificial-intelligence agent that automates this workflow. Rather than a bespoke application, \textsc{NNStar} is delivered as a portable \emph{skill} for an open large-language-model (LLM) agent platform -- a self-describing module that pairs worked usage conventions with symbolic and numerical physics engines that (i) build a relativistic mean-field model directly from a Lagrangian, (ii) solve the mean-field equations of motion and evaluate the saturation properties, (iii) construct the $β$-equilibrium equation of state, splice it to a crust, and integrate the Tolman--Oppenheimer--Volkoff equations, and (iv) score the resulting predictions through a Bayesian joint analysis against nuclear matter and astrophysical observations. The agent can read a model, fit its parameters, and report the full set of nuclear matter and neutron star observables without human intervention. \textsc{NNStar} therefore provides a new, AI-driven framework for analyzing nuclear matter and neutron-star observations.

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arXiv2026

Compact star and compact star matter properties from a baryonic extended linear sigma model with explicit chiral symmetry breaking

Based on a baryonic extended linear sigma model including explicit chiral symmetry breaking effect, the structure of neutron stars with the emergence of hyperons is investigated using the relativistic mean field approximation. It is found that, except for the lightest scalar meson $σ$ whose structure is not well understood so far, the vacuum mass spectra of relevant hadrons and nuclear matter properties around saturation density can be well reproduced. Nevertheless, based on the present model and the applied relativistic mean field approach, we found that, to have a realistic mass-radius relation of neutron stars, the $πN$ sigma term $σ_{πN}$ that denotes the contribution of explicit symmetry breaking should deviate from its empirical values at vacuum. Specifically, $σ_{πN}\sim -600$ MeV, rather than $(32\text{--}89) \rm \ MeV$ at vacuum. With an appropriate choice of $σ_{πN}$ and $K(n_0)$, our framework can give a more observationally favored mass-radius relation of neutron stars with the emergence of hyperons, suggesting a possible density dependence of the low energy constants, at least within the present leading order framework with the relativistic mean field approach. The present result provides a new perspective on the relation between microscopic explicit chiral symmetry breaking in dense matter and macroscopic structure of compact stars and calls for more systematic treatments beyond leading order relativistic mean field calculation.

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arXiv2026

QCD vacuum pressure and its influence on the equation of state of non-strange quark stars

Solutions of the quark gap equation and the corresponding vacuum pressure are investigated within a modified Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model, which is a basic issue for studying the QCD equation of state (EOS) and the properties of hypothetical non-strange quark stars. In this study, the coupling strength $G$ is modified as $G=G_1+G_2\langle\barψψ\rangle$ to highlight the feedback effect of the quark condensate on the gluon propagator. Our analysis reveals that the influence of the vacuum pressure on EOS stiffness critically depends on whether the chiral phase transition is a first-order transition or a smooth crossover. A small ratio $G_1/G$ $(0.74\sim0.75)$ leads to a low vacuum pressure and a first-order chiral phase transition, a scenario favored by the existence of massive pulsars. Conversely, a large $G_1/G$ $(>0.96)$ leads to a high vacuum pressure and a crossover, but the corresponding EOS is ruled out by recent pulsar mass-radius observations. The model parameter space, restricted by four constraints, indicates the current quark mass is in the range $4.08\leq m\leq4.13$ MeV, with the quark condensate feedback contribution accounting for approximately 25\%. Furthermore, it is argued that the merging compact binary in GW170817 could be non-strange quark stars, and the tidal deformability is constrained to $Λ(1.4)\leq646$.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2026

Probing soft signals of gravitational-wave memory with space-based interferometers

Gravitational-wave displacement memory is a remarkable and ubiquitous phenomenon predicted by general relativity, which has not yet been detected. Unlike the oscillatory components of gravitational waveforms, displacement memory is associated with soft gravitons, making it the only observable signal of its parent event at sufficiently low frequencies. Similarly, soft waveforms may arise from velocity and integrated-displacement memory. The simple and universal spectral shapes of soft waveforms also provide effective templates for matched filtering and parameter estimation. In this paper, we investigate the detection prospects for such soft memory signals with future space-based laser interferometers. As realistic examples, we examine the infrared spectral features of gravitational waves from moderately relativistic compact binary scattering and nearly equal-mass quasi-circular, non-precessing black hole mergers. In both cases, the low frequency spectrum can be described by a corrected soft waveform of displacement memory. The results of simulated Bayesian parameter estimation demonstrate that independent measurement of a soft displacement-memory signal with a single LISA-like detector is achievable at signal-to-noise ratios $\gtrsim 10$. The measurement precision can be significantly improved by joint observations with a LISA-Taiji network. A single BBO detector could be capable of separately measuring the null memory from stellar-mass compact binary mergers. We also evaluate the detectability of an idealized stochastic background of soft displacement-memory signals. Our results indicate that gravitational-wave bursts with memory can be promising targets for space-based interferometers.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

Chiral-scale effective field theory for dense and thermal systems

In this contribution, I will present some properties of nuclear matter (NM) by using the chiral-scale effective field theory that is anchored on the chiral, scale and hidden local flavor symmetries of QCD. We show that the sound velocity (SV) of the compact star matter can saturate the conformal limit, the SV exhibits a peak configuration in the intermediate density. To extend the chiral-scale effective field theory to both dense and tnermal systems, we setup a chiral-scale density counting (CSDC) rule and explore the contributions up to $\mathcal{O}(k_c^{12})$.

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arXiv2026

Chiral-scale effective field theory for dense and thermal systems

We established a new power counting scheme, chiral-scale density counting (CSDC) rules, for the application of the chiral-scale effective field theory to nuclear matter at finite densities and temperatures. Within this framework, the free fermion gas is at the leading order, while one-boson-exchange interactions appear at the next-to-leading order, and the multi-meson couplings are at higher orders. Then, we applied the CSDC rules to study the nuclear matter properties, and estimated the valid regions of the CSDC rules. It was found that the zero temperature symmetric nuclear matter properties around saturation density and the critical temperature of liquid-gas phase transition can be captured by an appropriate choice of CSDC orders, and the results beyond these regions are align with the chiral nuclear force. Moreover, the evolution of scale symmetry was found to be consistent with previous studies. The results of this work indicate that the quantum corrections may be crucial in the studies of nuclear matter in a wide density region.

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arXiv2026

Hadronic description of nuclear matter and neutron star properties

The composition of the neutron star is one of the most fundamental and long-standing problems in nuclear- and astro-physics. The known properties of nuclear matter, together with the astronomical observations, impose the stringent and interconnected constraints on the theoretical descriptions. In this work, by using the most general quantum hadrodynamics model including $σ, ω, ρ$ and $a_0$ in addition to nucleons, and performing a Bayesian joint analysis of experimental nuclear matter data and astrophysical observations, we point out that the nuclear matter made of only hadrons can provide a unified description of nuclear matter properties and astrophysical observations at $1 σ$-level. In addition, we find that the existence of $σωρa_0$ interaction naturally leads to a peak structure in the speed of sound at $\sim (2-3)$ times saturation density $n_0$ which results to a small size intermediate mass neutron star and the upper bound mass $\sim 2M_\odot$. What we find here indicate that the sequential measurement of neutron star mass and radius by the next generation facilities, especially that of the intermediate mass neutron stars, is crucial for distinguishing the pure nucleonic stars from the hybrid ones.

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arXiv2026

Bridging doubly heavy tetraquark mass spectrum with heavy baryons utilizing heavy antiquark-diquark symmetry

Motivated by the observation of the doubly charmed tetraquark $T_{cc}(3875)^+$, we present a systematic study of double heavy tetraquarks ($T_{QQ'\bar{q}\bar{q}'}$) using heavy antiquark-diquark symmetry (HADS) within a constituent quark model. By calibrating model parameters to known hadron spectra and incorporating the effective mass formula, we predict the masses for 38 ground-state tetraquarks with $cc$, $bb$, and $bc$ heavy quark pairs, including the non-strange, single-strange, and double-strange configurations with quantum numbers $J^P = 0^+, 1^+$ and $2^+$. Notably, we identify several stable states below the relevant meson-meson thresholds, particularly in the $bb\bar{q}\bar{q}'$ sector. The explicit connection between doubly heavy tetraquark and heavy baryon spectra through HADS reduces model dependence and reveals fundamental systematics in the heavy-quark hadron landscape.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Origin of hadron mass from gravitational D-form factor and neutron star measurements

Clarifying the origin of hadron mass is one of the fundamental problems in particle physics, relevant from hadronic scales to astrophysical observations. At low energies, this issue is reflected in the decomposition of the hadron mass into chiral-variant and -invariant components. In this letter, we propose a method to extract the chiral invariant mass from the gravitational $D$-form factor under the assumption of the lightest-sigma meson dominance. Focusing on the nucleon, we show that a sizable chiral invariant mass is required to reproduce lattice QCD data, consistent with neutron star constraints.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Huizhou Hadron Spectrometer -- a Proposed High-rate Experimental Setup at the High Intensity Heavy-ion Accelerator Facility

The High-Intensity Heavy-Ion Accelerator Facility (HIAF), currently under construction in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China, is projected to be completed by 2025. This facility will be capable of producing proton and heavy-ion beams with energies reaching several GeV, thereby offering a versatile platform for advanced fundamental physics research. Key scientific objectives include exploring physics beyond the Standard Model through the search for novel particles and interactions, testing fundamental symmetries, investigating exotic hadronic states such as di-baryons, pentaquark states and multi-strange hypernuclei, conducting precise measurements of hadron and hypernucleus properties, and probing the phase boundary and critical point of nuclear matter. To facilitate these investigations, we propose the development of a dedicated experimental apparatus at HIAF - the Huizhou Hadron Spectrometer (HHaS). This paper presents the conceptual design of HHaS, comprising a solenoid magnet, a five-dimensional silicon pixel tracker, a Low-Gain Avalanche Detector (LGAD) for time-of-flight measurements, and a Cherenkov-scintillation dual-readout electromagnetic calorimeter. The design anticipates an unprecedented event rate of 1-100 MHz, extensive particle acceptance, a track momentum resolution at 1% level, an electromagnetic energy resolution of ~3% @ 1 GeV and multi-particle identification capabilities. Such capabilities position HHaS as a powerful instrument for advancing experimental studies in particle and nuclear physics. The successful realization of HHaS is expected to significantly bolster the development of medium- and high-energy physics research within China.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2025

Finite density nuclear matter and neutron stars in hard-wall AdS/QCD model

We investigate properties of nuclear matter, equation of state (EOS) of neutron stars and its mass-radius relation in a hard-wall AdS/QCD model by regarding baryons as solitonic configurations in gauge fields. Compared with previous approaches, we employ a different homogeneous approximation that takes into account the equations of motion for the pure gauge fields. By choosing appropriate parameters, we realize a chiral phase transition within the baryonic phase, where the chiral condensate decreases with the baryon chemical potential, until it reaches zero -- chiral symmetry is restored. In addition, independent of the existence of chiral phase transition, we also find that the speed of sound converges to the conformal limit at the density relevant to cores of massive stars but the trace of energy-momentum tensor does not vanish which indicates the pseudoconformal structure and intrinsic manifestation of scale symmetry in compact star matter. Through calculations, we obtain an equation of state that is more tightly constrained than previous works, and the resulting mass-radius relation of neutron stars is consistent with current observations.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2025

Composition of scalar mesons and their effects on nuclear matter properties in an extended linear sigma model

It has been argued that the iso-scalar and iso-vector mesons play significant roles in nuclear matter and neutron star structures. We improve the extended linear sigma model with baryons, proposed in our previous work, by introducing the flavor structures constructed from antisymmetric tensors of chiral representations to study these physics. The parameter space of this model is refined with well-reproduced nuclear matter properties at saturation density by the lowest order Lagrangian, ensuring consistency with vacuum results, such as $f_π\approx 134 \, \text{MeV}$. The anticipated plateau-like behaviors of the symmetry energy are predicted at intermediate densities, which is crucial for the consistency of GW170817 and the neutron skin thickness of $\text{Pb}^{208}$. Subsequently, neutron star structures are calculated using several parameter sets, and the results for the nuclear matter properties at saturation density align with empirical values. It is found that the neutron star structures are sensitive to the couplings between the iso-vector $a_0$ meson and nucleons and the four-vector meson couplings: small values of both are favorable. Meanwhile, nuclear matter properties at saturation density favor larger values of the latter and are not sensitive to the former. This signifies the statistical significance of neutron star observations when obtaining realistic chiral effective field theories or models at various densities. The parameter set favored by neutron star observations also aligns the behavior of the sound velocity with the conformal limit at high densities relevant to cores of massive stars. It is hoped that the results of this work can guide future studies on the relationship between the microscopic symmetry of strong interactions and macroscopic phenomena.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2025

Peak of sound velocity, scale symmetry, and nuclear force in baryonic matter

The sound velocity in homogeneous matter has fundamental significance as it relates to the stiffness of the equation of state of compact star matter. In this work, we investigate the density evolution of the sound velocity in homogeneous {neutron matter at zero temperature} by using an effective field theory implemented with a conformal compensator -- the nonlinear realization of scale symmetry -- regarded as the source of the lightest scalar meson. We find that the peak of sound velocity emerges naturally in the intermediate density region, $(1-2.5)n_0$, without resorting to any transitions from hadron to exotic configurations or introducing new degrees of freedom. This phenomenon is not found in the Walecka-type models where the sigma meson is included in the linear-type approach, therefore it is an intrinsic character of the dilaton compensator approach through the matching of the QCD trace anomaly; a mechanism has not been found before, and it connects to the character of the lightest scalar meson. In addition, these observations shed light on how the hidden scale symmetry manifests in the nuclear medium from the unitarity limit in dilute matter to the dilaton limit in compact star matter.

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arXiv2025

Origin of nucleon mass in the light of PSR J0614-3329 with quark-hadron crossover

The recent NICER observation of PSR J0614-3329, revealing the smallest reliably measured neutron star radius of $R = 10.29^{+1.01}_{-0.86}$ km at mass $M = 1.44^{+0.06}_{-0.07} M_\odot$, provides an unprecedented constraint on the equation of state of dense matter. We investigate the implications of this measurement for the origin of nucleon mass within the parity doublet model framework, which naturally incorporates both chiral variant and chiral invariant mass components. We construct unified equations of state by employing the parity doublet model with isovector scalar meson $a_0(980)$ for hadronic matter up to twice nuclear saturation density, smoothly connected to a Nambu-Jona-Lasinio-type quark model at higher densities through a crossover transition. By systematically varying the chiral invariant mass $m_0$ and quark matter parameters, we determine which values simultaneously satisfy all current astrophysical constraints, including gravitational wave observations from GW170817, NICER measurements of several pulsars, and the existence of two-solar-mass neutron stars. The inclusion of PSR J0614-3329 dramatically refines the allowed range of the chiral invariant mass from the previous constraint of $580~\text{MeV} \lesssim m_0 \lesssim 860~\text{MeV}$ to $800~\text{MeV} \lesssim m_0 \lesssim 860~\text{MeV}$, raising the lower bound by approximately 220 MeV. This result indicates that the chiral invariant mass must constitute at least 85\% of the nucleon mass, challenging the traditional picture of nucleon mass generation through spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking alone and highlighting the importance of gluon condensation and other non-chiral mechanisms.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2025

White Dwarf Structure and Binary Inspiral Gravitational Waves from Quantum Hadrodynamics

White dwarfs, one of the compact objects in the universe, play a crucial role in astrophysical research and provide a platform for exploring nuclear physics. In this work, we extend the relativistic mean field approach by using a Walecka-type quantum hadrodynamics model to capture the intricate structure of white dwarfs. We calculate nuclear properties, Coulomb energy, and photon energy within white dwarfs in a unified framework. By carefully calibrating the model parameters to align with nuclear matter properties, we successfully reproduce the structures of several elements in white dwarfs, such as the isotopes of $\rm C$ and $^{16}\rm O$, except for the unnaturally deeply bound state $^4$He. Furthermore, we predict the characteristics of white dwarfs composed of atom-like units and the gravitational waves stemming from binary white dwarf inspirals incorporating tidal deformability contributions up to the 2.5 post-Newtonian order. These results shed light on the structure of white dwarfs and provide valuable information for future gravitational wave detection. This methodological advancement allows for a cohesive analysis of white dwarfs, neutron stars, and the nuclear pasta within a unified theoretical framework.

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arXiv2025

Implication of neutron star observations to the origin of nucleon mass

We investigate the implications of neutron star observations for understanding the origin of nucleon mass using a framework that combines three complementary approaches: the equation of state based on parity doublet structure for hadronic matter below $2n_0$, the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model for quark matter above $5n_0$, and a model-independent analysis of the intermediate density region based on fundamental physical principles. By systematically exploring parameter spaces and comparing theoretical predictions with recent observational constraints, we establish constraints on the chiral invariant mass. Our results suggest that more than a half of the nucleon mass originates from sources beyond spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking, challenging conventional understanding of nucleon mass generation. These constraints arise solely from fundamental physical principles and observational data, independent of specific assumptions about the nature of the quark-hadron transition, providing robust insights into the microscopic origin of hadron masses.

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arXiv2025

Confined Monopoles in Chiral Bag

The chiral bag model offers a dual description of hadron physics in terms of quarks and hadrons in the sense of Cheshire Cat principle. In this work, we find that, within the chiral bag, confinement is likely caused by monopole condensation. The chiral bag surface can be interpreted as an $η'$ domain wall, where a dynamical Chern-Simons theory emerges. Under level-rank duality, the Chern-Simons theory serves as the counterterm introduced to block the so-called color charge leakage. To ensure the correct net baryon number of the full chiral bag, an additional Chern-Simons theory involving the vector meson field arises on the bag surface and extends outside the bag. This leads to a Chern-Simons-Higgs theory localized on the $η'$ domain wall, as previously conjectured. We also propose that the skyrmion description of baryons could be understood as a system of monopoles enveloped by a meson cloud.

hep-ph↗