Phase transitions in neutron stars and their links to gravitational waves

Abstract

The recent direct observation of gravitational wave event $GW170817$ and its $GRB170817A$ signal has opened up a new window to study neutron stars and heralds a new era of Astronomy referred to as the Multimessenger Astronomy. Both gravitational and electromagnetic waves from a single astrophysical source have been detected for the first time. This combined detection offers an unprecedented opportunity to place constraints on the neutron star matter equation of state. The existence of a possible hadron-quark phase transition in the central regions of neutron stars is associated with the appearance of g-modes, which are extremely important as they could signal the presence of a pure quark matter core in the centers of neutron stars. Observations of g-modes with frequencies between 1 kHz and 1.5 kHz could be interpreted as evidence of a sharp hadron-quark phase transition in the cores of neutron stars. In this article, we shall review the description of the dense matter composing neutron stars, the determination of the equation of state of such matter, and the constraints imposed by astrophysical observations of these fascinating compact objects.

35 pages, 10 figures

References in corpus (51)

• GW170817: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Neutron Star Inspiral
• Shapiro delay measurement of a two solar mass neutron star
• A Massive Pulsar in a Compact Relativistic Binary
• Multi-messenger Observations of a Binary Neutron Star Merger
• Gravitational Waves and Gamma-rays from a Binary Neutron Star Merger: GW170817 and GRB 170817A
• Color superconductivity in dense quark matter
• Constraining neutron star tidal Love numbers with gravitational wave detectors
• The equation of state in (2+1)-flavor QCD
• Physics of Strongly Magnetized Neutron Stars
• Thermonuclear (type-I) X-ray bursts observed by the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer
• The Electromagnetic Counterpart of the Binary Neutron Star Merger LIGO/Virgo GW170817. I. Dark Energy Camera Discovery of the Optical Counterpart
• The Combined Ultraviolet, Optical, and Near-Infrared Light Curves of the Kilonova Associated with the Binary Neutron Star Merger GW170817: Unified Data Set, Analytic Models, and Physical Implications
• GW170817: Joint Constraint on the Neutron Star Equation of State from Multimessenger Observations
• Neutron-star radius constraints from GW170817 and future detections
• The Phase Structure of the Polyakov--Quark-Meson Model
• Rapid Cooling of the Neutron Star in Cassiopeia A Triggered by Neutron Superfluidity in Dense Matter
• The discovery of the electromagnetic counterpart of GW170817: kilonova AT 2017gfo/DLT17ck
• Spectral properties of the post-merger gravitational-wave signal from binary neutron stars
• Search for post-merger gravitational waves from the remnant of the binary neutron star merger GW170817
• Inhomogeneous chiral condensates
• QCD at finite chemical potential with six time slices
• Constraints on the Symmetry Energy Using the Mass-Radius Relation of Neutron Stars
• The phase boundary for the chiral transition in (2+1)-flavor QCD at small values of the chemical potential
• A Deep Chandra X-ray Study of Neutron Star Coalescence GW170817
• Freeze-out conditions from net-proton and net-charge fluctuations at RHIC
• Neutron star mass and radius measurements from atmospheric model fits to X-ray burst cooling tail spectra
• Inverse magnetic catalysis in the (2+1)-flavor Nambu--Jona-Lasinio and Polyakov--Nambu--Jona-Lasinio models
• Relativistic model for nuclear matter and atomic nuclei with momentum-dependent self-energies
• Modern compact star observations and the quark matter equation of state
• Improved Mass and Radius Constraints for Quiescent Neutron Stars in Omega Cen and NGC 6397
• Signatures of hadron-quark mixed phase in gravitational waves
• Challenging the paradigm of singularity excision in gravitational collapse
• The Green Bank Telescope 350 MHz Drift-scan Survey II: Data Analysis and the Timing of 10 New Pulsars, Including a Relativistic Binary
• The strongly interacting Quark Gluon Plasma, and the critical behaviour of QCD at imaginary chemical potential
• Droplets in the cold and dense linear sigma model with quarks
• Rejecting proposed dense-matter equations of state with quiescent low-mass X-ray binaries
• Fundamental oscillation modes of neutron stars: validity of universal relations
• Gravitational wave asteroseismology with fast rotating neutron stars
• Phase diagram and surface tension in the three-flavor Polyakov-quark-meson model
• Nonlocal SU(3) chiral quark models at finite temperature: the role of the Polyakov loop
• Equilibrium sequences of non rotating and rapidly rotating crystalline color superconducting hybrid stars
• Effects of color superconductivity on the nucleation of quark matter in neutron stars
• A Spectroscopic Study of the Extreme Black Widow PSR J1311-3430
• Finite-size effects on the hadron-quark phase transition in neutron stars
• Strong magnetic fields in nonlocal chiral quark models
• Deconfinement of neutron star matter within the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model
• Anti-glitches within the standard scenario of pulsar glitches
• The cooling phase of Type I X-ray bursts observed with RXTE in 4U 1820-30 does not follow the canonical F - T^4 relation
• A linear sigma model for multiflavor gauge theories
• Generalized Ginzburg-Landau approach to inhomogeneous phases in nonlocal chiral quark models
• Pinning down the superfluid and nuclear equation of state and measuring neutron star mass using pulsar glitches

Cited by in corpus (15)

• Delta baryons and diquark formation in the cores of neutron stars
• Hot quark matter and (proto-) neutron stars
• Probing hybrid stars with gravitational waves via interfacial modes
• Oscillating magnetised hybrid stars under the magnifying glass of multi-messenger observations
• The Role of Baryon Structure in Neutron Stars
• Effects of Hadron-Quark Phase Transitions in Hybrid Stars within the NJL Model
• Breaking of universal relationships of axial wI-modes in hybrid stars: rapid and slow hadron-quark conversion scenarios
• Strong-interaction matter under extreme conditions from chiral quark models with nonlocal separable interactions
• Hybrid stars with color superconducting cores in an extended FCM model
• Gravitational-wave imprints of non-convex dynamics in binary neutron star mergers
• Spin-down induced quark-hadron phase transition in cold isolated neutron stars
• Impact of Multiple Phase Transitions in Dense QCD on Compact Stars
• Phase transition and stiffer core fluid in neutron stars: Effects on stellar configurations, dynamical stability, and tidal deformability
• Quantum error mitigation for parametric circuits
• Colliding and Fixed Target Mode in a Single Experiment -- A Novel Approach to Study the Matter under New Extreme Conditions