Bose-Einstein condensation in dense quark matter

We consider the problem of Bose condensation of charged pions in QCD at finite isospin chemical potential μ_I using the O(4)-symmetric linear sigma model as an effective field theory for two-flavor QCD. Using the 2PI 1/N-expansion, we determine the quasiparticle masses as well as the pion and chiral condensates as a function of the temperature and isospin chemical potential in the chiral limit and at the physical point. The calculations show that there is a competition between the condensates. At T=0, Bose condensation takes place for chemical potentials larger than μ_π. In the chiral limit, the chiral condensate vanishes for any finite value of μ_I.     

Charged and superconducting vortices in dense quark matter

Quark matter at astrophysical densities may contain stable vortices due to the spontaneous breaking of hypercharge symmetry by kaon condensation. We argue that these vortices could be both charged and electrically superconducting. Current carrying loops (vortons) could be long-lived and play a role in the magnetic and transport properties of this matter. We provide a scenario for vorton formation in protoneutron stars.     

Pion condensation of quark matter in a static Einstein universe

In the framework of an extended Nambu–Jona-Lasinio model we study pion condensation in quark matter with an asymmetric isospin composition. We treat this against the gravitational field of a static Einstein universe at finite temperature and chemical potential. This particular choice of the gravitational field configuration enables us to investigate phase transitions of the system with exact consideration of the role of this field in the formation of quark and pion condensates. Also, we point out its influence on the phase portraits. We demonstrate the effect of oscillations of the thermodynamic quantities as functions of the curvature and also refer to a certain similarity between the behavior of these quantities as functions of curvature and finite temperature. Finally, the role of quantum fluctuations for spontaneous symmetry breaking in the case of a finite volume of the universe is briefly discussed.     

Bulk viscosity of strange quark matter in density dependent quark mass model

We have studied the bulk viscosity of strange quark matter in the density dependent quark mass model (DDQM) and compared results with calculations done earlier in the MIT bag model where u, d masses were neglected and first order interactions were taken into account. We find that at low temperatures and high relative perturbations, the bulk viscosity is higher by 2 to 3 orders of magnitude while at low perturbations the enhancement is by 1–2 order of magnitude as compared to earlier results. Also the damping time is 2–3 orders of magnitude lower implying that the star reaches stability much earlier than in MIT bag model calculations.     

Charged condensation

We consider Bose–Einstein condensation of massive electrically charged scalars in a uniform background of charged fermions. We focus on the case when the scalar condensate screens the background charge, while the net charge of the system resides on its boundary surface. A distinctive signature of this substance is that the photon acquires a Lorentz-violating mass in the bulk of the condensate. Due to this mass, the transverse and longitudinal gauge modes propagate with different group velocities. We give qualitative arguments that at high enough densities and low temperatures a charged system of electrons and helium-4 nuclei, if held together by laboratory devices or by force of gravity, can form such a substance. We briefly discuss possible manifestations of the charged condensate in compact astrophysical objects.     

Charged pion condensation in anti-parallel electromagnetic fields and nonzero isospin density

The formation of charged pion condensate in anti-parallel electromagnetic fields and in the presence of the isospin chemical potential is studied in the two-flavor Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model.The method of Schwinger proper time is extended to explore the quantities in the off-diagonal flavor space,i.e.the charged pion.In this framework,π^± are treated as bound states of quarks and not as point-like charged particles.The isospin chemical potential plays the role of a trigger for charged pion condensation.We obtain the associated effective potential as a function of the strength of the electromagnetic fields and find that it contains a sextic term which possibly induces a weak first order phase transition.The dependence of pion condensation on model parameters is investigated.     

The kaon form factor in the light-cone quark model

The electromagnetic form factor of the kaon meson is calculated in the light-cone formalism of the relativistic constituent quark model. The calculated K⁺ form factor is consistent with almost all of the available experimental data at low-energy scale, while other properties of the kaon could also be interrelated in this representation with reasonable parameters. Predictions of the form factors for the charged and neutral kaons at a higher-energy scale are also given, and we find the non-zero K⁰ form factor at Q ²≠ 0 due to the mass difference between the strange and down quarks inside K⁰. Received: 21 June 2002 / Accepted: 29 July 2002 / Published online: 3 December 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: mabq@phy.pku.edu.cn Communicated by A. Sch?fer     

Instanton liquid at a finite density of quark matter

For the case of finite quark and baryon densities, the interaction of light quarks with an instanton liquid is considered in a phase that involves a nonvanishing chiral condensate. The generating functional is considered in the tadpole approximation, and the behavior of the dynamical quark mass and the behavior of the chiral condensate, as well as the behavior of the instanton-liquid (gluon-condensate) density, which grows slightly with the quark chemical potential, are explored. Arguments are presented in favor of the statement that the quark-density threshold for the emergence of a diquark condensate grows sizably owing to interaction with the instanton liquid.     

Neutrino emissivity from strange matter having density dependent quark masses

We have analyzed the equilibrium composition of quark matter consisting of approximately equal number of up, down and strange quarks, based upon the confinement mechanism of Fowler et al. (1981) and Plümmer et al. (1984) in which the quark masses are considered density dependent. Using this model, we calculate the neutrino emissivity rate and the neutrino mean free path in quark matter and compare the results with Iwamoto (1982). We find that the emissivity rate is a slowly increasing function of the density, while the values of mean free path are slightly on the higher side than those of Iwamoto.     

Charged pion photoproduction in the quark model

In terms of a quark model an explanation is given of charged pion photoproduction ratios, at small momentum transfer, in the processes γN → π^±N, γN → π^±Δ. The model is also shown to be consistent with π⁰ photoproduction data.     

Superconductivity in quark matter

Superconductivity due to the pairing of relativistic quarks in ultra-dense matter is discussed. Ginzburg-Landau equations are derived, and the possibility of an Abrikosov vortex phase is considered.     

Superconducting quark matter

In asymptotically dense quark matter, colored glue forces cause an unusual variant of superconductivity. Instead of pairing, the quarks clump in groups of six. We investigate the gap equation in the weak coupling limit, and find the leading behavior of the energy gap and the critical temperature as functions of the renormalized coupling constant.     

Pion condensation in electrically neutral cold matter with finite baryon density

In contrast to theoretical expectations, experimental results at GeV for the reaction γp → π⁰X show no evidence for odderon exchange. The upper limit on the cross section is an order of magnitude smaller than the theoretical estimate. It is argued that chiral symmetry leads to a large suppression, taking the theoretical estimates well below the data. Two additional arguments are presented which may decrease the theoretical estimate further. The calculations are more sensitive to the assumptions made in evaluating the hadronic scattering amplitude than in the processes considered previously and lattice gauge calculations indicate that the odderon intercept may be appreciably lower than usually assumed. These two latter effects are particularly relevant for the reactions γp → and γp → for which the data upper limits are also below the theoretical predictions, but not so dramatically as for γp → π⁰X.     

Recent developments on kaon condensation and its astrophysical implications

We discuss three different ways to arrive at kaon condensation at _nc?3_n0$n_c?3n_0$ where _n0$n_0$ is nuclear matter density: (1) Fluctuating around the n=0$n=0$ vacuum in chiral perturbation theory, (2) fluctuating around _nVM$n_{VM}$ near the chiral restoration density _nχ$n_{\chi }$ where the vector manifestation of hidden local symmetry is reached and (3) fluctuating around the Fermi liquid fixed point at ∼_n0$\sim n_0$. They all share one common theoretical basis, “hidden local symmetry”. We argue that when the critical density _nc<_nχ$n_c<n_{\chi }$ is reached in a neutron star, the electrons turn into K⁻$K^{-}$ mesons, which go into an s-wave Bose condensate. This reduces the pressure substantially and the neutron star goes into a black hole. Next we develop the argument that the collapse of a neutron star into a black hole takes place for a star of M?1.5_M⊙$M?1.5M_{\odot }$. This means that Supernova 1987A had a black hole as result. We also show that two neutron stars in a binary have to be within 4% of each other in mass, for neutron stars sufficiently massive that they escape helium shell burning. For those that are so light that they do have helium shell burning, after a small correction for this, they must be within 4% of each other in mass. Observations support the proximity in mass inside of a neutron star binary. The result of strangeness condensation is that there are ∼5$\sim 5$ times more low-mass black-hole, neutron-star binaries than double neutron-star binaries although the former are difficult to observe.     

Quark-clustering in cold quark matter

Quarks are proposed to be grouped together to make quark-clusters due to the strong interaction in cold quark matter at a few nuclear densities,because a weakly coupling treatment of the interaction between quarks there would be inadequate.Cold quark matter is then conjectured to be in solid state （i.e.,forming a crystal structure） if the inter-cluster potential is deep enough to localize clusters in lattice.Such a solid state of cold quark matter would be very necessary for us to understand different manifestations of pulsar-like compact stars,and could not be ruled by first principles.     

Superfluidity in ultra-relativistic quark matter

Possible forms of superfluid order parameter are discussed for quark matter at densities where the Fermi energy is much greater than the mass of the quarks. Ginzburg-Landau equations for the order parameter are derived and solved.