Quantum Nucleation of Two-Flavor Quark Matter in Neutron Stars

Abstract

Rates for nucleation of two-flavor quark matter in a neutron star core, originally composed of nuclear matter in $\beta$ equilibrium, are calculated at zero temperature by a quantum tunneling analysis incorporating the electrostatic energy. We find that a nucleated droplet would develop into bulk matter due to electron screening effects.

8 pages (LaTeX, PTP style), 4 Postscript figures, to be published in Prog. Theor. Phys. (Letters)

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