Alexandre Mesquita

GLUEBALL-DILATON AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO DARK MATTER IN NEUTRON STARS

We study cold nuclear matter based on a mean field description of baryons bound by the exchange of scalar-isoscalar, vector-isoscalar, scalar-isovector and vector-isovector meson fields as well as the glueball field. For this task, we use an extended version of the effective model with derivative couplings with genuine many-body forces simulated by nonlinear self-couplings and meson-meson interaction terms involving scalar-isoscalar (σ, σ*), vector-isoscalar (ω, ɸ), vector-isovector (ϱ), scalar-isovector (δ) meson and the glueball fields. In our approach, the realization of the broken scale invariance of quantum chromodynamics is achieved through the introduction of a dilaton field. The effective model with dilatons is the applied to the description of neutron stars.

EFFECTIVE MESONIC AND BARYONIC DEGREES OF FREEDOM IN NEUTRON STARS

We present a sketchy survey on the role of effective mesonic and baryonic degrees of freedom in dense hadronic matter and briefly mention still very crude attempts to include constituent quarks degrees of freedom for a transition to a quark gluon plasma.

RELATIVISTIC URCA PROCESSES IN NEUTRON STARS WITH AN ANTIKAON CONDESATE

A recently developed effective relativistic theory for nuclear matter is applied to the description of the cooling process of baryon degenerate neutron star matter through neutrino emission considering direct URCA processes. In our approach nucleons and antikaon condensates interact with σ, ω, ρ, δ and ς meson fields. Our results indicate a substantial decrease of the critical threshold density for the URCA process. This is because the presence of these interacting degrees of freedom increase the proportion of protons, producing simultaneously the reduction of the isospin asymmetry in nuclear matter. Our results also indicate that neutron stars with larger masses than MNE ~ 0.9M⊙, which represents the stellar critical threshold (the mass of the neutron star whose baryon central density reached the critical density) would be cooled efficiently and be outside the possibility of observation by heat radiation in a few years.

THE ROLE OF SCALAR-ISOVECTOR MESONS AND ANTIKAONS IN NEUTRON STARS

We study the effects of the scalar-isovector meson δ and those of a new light scalar-isovector resonance ς on the phase transition of hadronic matter to hadronic matter with a condensate of antikaons, using an effective model with derivative couplings. In our formalism, nucleons interact through the exchange of σ, ω, ϱ, δ, and ς mesons in the presence of electrons and muons to accomplish electric charge neutrality and beta equilibrium. The phase-transition to the antikaon condensate was implemented through the Gibbs conditions combined with the mean-field approximation, giving rise to a mixed phase of coexistence between nucleon matter and the condensed antikaons. Scalar-isovector mesons operate for restoring isospin symmetry and reduce this way the value of the effective nucleon mass, independent of the depth of the optical potential for antikaons. Moreover, as expected we found that an increase of the depth of optical potential favors the population of antikaons. Finally, assuming neutrino-free matter, we observe a rapid decrease of the electron chemical potential produced by the gradual substitution of electrons by kaons to accomplish electric charge neutrality.

THE ROLE OF ANTIKAON CONDENSATES IN THE EQUATION OF STATE OF NEUTRON STARS

We study the consequences of the presence of a negative electric charge condensate of antikaons in neutron stars using an effective model with derivative couplings. In our formalism, nucleons interact through the exchange of σ, ω and ϱ mesons, in the presence of electrons and muons, to accomplish electric charge neutrality and beta equilibrium. The phase transition to the antikaon condensate was implemented through the Gibbs conditions combined with the mean-field approximation, giving rise to a mixed phase of coexistence between nucleon matter and the antikaon condensate. Assuming neutrino-free matter, we observe a rapid decrease of the electron chemical potential produced by the gradual substitution of electrons by kaons to accomplish electric charge neutrality. The exotic composition of matter in neutron star including antikaon condensation and nucleons can yield a maximum mass of about Mns ~ 1.76 M⊙.

STABILITY OF NEUTRON STARS WITH LARGE AMOUNT OF STRANGENESS AND THE ROLE OF δ-MESON

We investigate the role of the strange σ*, ϕ and δ meson fields on the delineation of main properties of neutron stars using a parameterized Lagrangian density model in the effective baryon and meson sectors. We assume, strange quarks are localized within the hyperon fields, which carry the strangeness content of the model. Our main goal is to analyze stability conditions of neutron stars with large amount of strangeness per baryon. Our main result indicates the inclusion of the strange (anti-)quark containing meson field σ*, besides ϕ and δ into nuclear matter, turn the equation of state stiffer this way increasing the gravitational mass of the neutron star.

QUARK–GLUON PLASMA IN A BAG MODEL WITH A SOFT SURFACE

We analyze the implications of quantum hadrodynamics (QHD) and quantum chromodynamics (QCD) to model, respectively, two distinct phases of nuclear matter, a baryon–meson phase and a quark–gluon phase. We develop an equation of state (EoS) in the framework of a quark–meson coupling model for the hadron–meson phase using a new version of the fuzzy bag model with scalar–isoscalar, vector–isoscalar and vector–isovector meson–quark couplings and leptonic degrees of freedom as well as the constrains from chemical equilibrium, baryon number and electric charge conservation. We model the EoS for the QGP phase for asymptotically free massless quarks and gluons using the MIT approach and a temperature and baryon chemical potential dependent bag constant, B(T,μ), which allows an isentropic equilibrium phase transition from a QGP to a hadron gas as determined by thermodynamics. Our predictions yield the EoS and static global properties of neutron stars and protoneutron stars at low and moderate values of temperature. Our results are slightly modified in comparison to predictions based on the standard MIT bag model with a constant bag pressure B.

KAON CONDENSATION AND THE NUCLEAR EQUATION OF STATE

We study the effects of phase transition in the equation of state of a neutron star containing a condensate of anti-kaons, using an effective model with derivative couplings. In our formalism, nucleons interact through the exchange of σ, ω, ϱ, and δ meson fields in the presence of electrons and muons to accomplish electric charge neutrality and beta equilibrium. The phase transition to the anti-kaons condensate was implemented through the Gibbs conditions combined with the mean-field approximation, giving rise to a mixed phase of coexistence between hadron matter and the condensed of anti-kaons. In conclusion, we have found that isovector meson degrees of freedom contribute to tighten the Equation of State of Neutron Stars.

A RELATIVISTIC EFFECTIVE MODEL WITH PARAMETERIZED COUPLINGS FOR NEUTRON STARS: THE ROLE OF ANTIKAON CONDENSATES

We study the effects of antikaon condensates in neutron stars in the framework of a relativistic effective model with derivative couplings which includes genuine many-body forces simulated by nonlinear interaction terms involving scalar-isoscalar (σ, σ*), vector-isoscalar (ω, ɸ), vector-isovector (ϱ), scalar-isovector (δ) mesons. The effective model presented in this work has a philosophy quite similar to the original version of the model with parameterized couplings. But unlike that, in which the parametrization is directly inserted in the coupling constants of the Glendenning model, we present here a method for the derivation of the parametric dependence of the coupling terms, in a way that allows in one side to consistently justify this parametrization and in the other to extend in a coherent way the range of possibilities of parameterizations in effective models with derivative couplings. The extended model is then applied to the description of the mass of neutron stars.

A RELATIVISTIC EFFECTIVE MODEL WITH PARAMETERIZED COUPLINGS FOR NEUTRON STARS

We present a relativistic effective model with derivative couplings which includes genuine many-body forces simulated by nonlinear interaction terms involving scalar-isoscalar (σ, σ*), vector-isoscalar (ω, ɸ), vector-isovector (ϱ), scalar-isovector (δ) mesons. The effective model presented in this work has a philosophy quite similar to the original version of the model with parameterized couplings. But unlike that, in which the parametrization is directly inserted in the coupling constants of the Glendenning model, we present here a method for the derivation of the parametric dependence of the coupling terms, in a way that allows in one side to consistently justify this parametrization and in the other to extend in a coherent way the range of possibilities of parameterizations in effective models with derivative couplings. The extended model is then applied to the description of the mass of neutron stars.