Based on recent scientific developments, a Finnish research group has come to the conclusion that the quark matter concept is correct.
The most notable distinction between a neutron star and a conventional star such as the Sun is the substantially higher density of the neutron star. A neutron star is formed when the density of stuff increases to the point where atoms are broken apart and split into their constituents as a result of gravity. When a great number of neutrons and protons are compressed into a small container, the result is a neutron star that looks similar to a massive atomic nucleus.
According to a theory proposed around 40 years ago, the protons and neutrons in the nucleus of neutron stars are dissolved into their constituents as a result of tremendous pressure in the nucleus. Quarks are fundamental particles that are responsible for the formation of protons and neutrons. In order to distinguish it from other types of matter, this substance, which is believed to exist in neutron star nuclei, is referred to as quark matter. At one point in time, it was virtually impossible to determine the extent to which this notion was correct. For the simple reason that there was no observational data to support this hypothesis, and theoretical computations were too difficult for even the most powerful computers to perform, it was abandoned.
A Finnish research group tackled the concept of quark matter using the most recent scientific advancements and came up with results that support the hypothesis of quark matter.
The researchers employed both theoretical computations and observational data in their work. Some of the measurements that were used in the research have to do with the masses of neutron stars. The first neutron star was discovered in 1967, and it was the first of its kind. However, it has only been in the last two decades that estimates of their populations have begun to be made. The masses of previously identified neutron stars ranged from one to one and a half times the mass of the Sun. The discovery of three neutron stars with masses nearly twice that of the Sun in the previous decade, on the other hand, represents a significant advance.
ImageTwo neutron stars collided in a collision
In 2017, the detectors at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in the United States and the Virgo detectors at the European Gravitational-Wave Observatory (EGWO) in Italy made yet another addition to the investigation. These gravitational wave detectors captured gravitational waves that were released into space as a result of the merger of two neutron stars that occurred in 2017. Following an analysis of the data, it was discovered that the colliding neutron stars might have a diameter of up to 13 kilometers in circumference.
A mathematical equation based on observations of neutron star weights and diameters was established by the researchers, and it allows them to compute the pressure and energy density of neutron stars. It has been determined that quark matter occurs at the cores of neutron stars by calculations based on this equation. Nevertheless, it is asserted that there is only a limited margin of error due to the uncertainties inherent in the computations in question.
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