Exotic StarsBy Jason Fiola

IntroductionDeciding on the Topic

Searched Strange matter stars and Stranglings

Heard about them from Dr. Antonio Padilla (University of Nottingham.

Found out Strange Stars were part of a larger category

Exotic Stars

Let’s Define an Exotic Star

Some Definitions would include Neutron Stars and Pulsars.

I’m going with the more strict definition,

An Exotic Star is a compact Star composed of something other than electons, protons, and neutrons; and is balaced against gravitational collapse by degeneracy pressure and or other quantum properties.

Background Information

For some background I’m going to cover 4 main types of exotic stars,

Quark and Strange Stars

Electroweak Stars

Preon Stars

Boson Stars

(Ones I won’t cover but you might want to look up; Dark Stars and Glueballs. I LOVE some of these names.)

Strange and Quark Stars

Quark stars, neutron stars and Black Holes all brought into existence in the same manner.

Neutron stars Fight gravity with Degeneracy pressure

If the star is too massive the Quarks that make up the neutrons (Two “up” one “down”) break apart.

Giving free up and down Quarks.

Soon these Quarks convert into strange QuarksThus the name Strange Star or Strangling.

Quark Stars fight gravity with Quark Degeneracy pressure.

(Source: http://news.discovery.com/space/why-are-quark-stars-so-strange.htm)

Strange and Quark Stars

Conventional thinking would lead us to believe Quark stars should be smaller than neutron stars

Seems reasonable, Squish matter in tighter, of course it’s smaller.

However new calculations suggest quarks stars actually might be bigger.

Results suggest a 2.5 solar mass quark star would swell larger than a 2 solar mass neutron star.

This can be used to try and find quark stars.(Source:

http://news.discovery.com/space/why-are-quark-stars-so-strange.htm)

Strange and Quark Stars

Pulsars RX J1856.5-3754 and 3C58 are possible Quark Stars

Based on Observations released by the Chandra X-Ray Observatory April 10th 2002.

These stars were previously thought to be Neutron Stars

I have to assume these stars are probably in the 2.5 solar mass range.

(Source: http://news.discovery.com/space/why-are-quark-stars-so-strange.htm)

Electroweak StarsWe know that after large supernovae we can get,

Neutron Star

A Quark Star

Black Hole

Turns out there’s yet ANOTHER step in-between,

THE ELECTROWEAK STAR (between a quark star and black hole)

(Source:http://news.discovery.com/space/exotic-electroweak-star-predicted.htm)

Electroweak StarsAn Electroweak star is so massive that it actually stars to act a little more like a conventional star.

It actually starts to burn matter again

This time It’s Quarks!

Quarks are burnt/converted into Leptons

Generating MASSIVE energy

Shooting out tons of Neutrinos.

(Source:http://news.discovery.com/space/exotic-electroweak-star-predicted.htm)

Electroweak StarsThe outward pressure is just enough to keep the star from collapsing into a black hole.

They’re called Electroweak Stars because,

At such extreme conditions the Electromagnetic and weak forces become one.

Just like shortly after the Big Bang.

(Source:http://news.discovery.com/space/exotic-electroweak-star-predicted.htm)

Electroweak StarsThe fact that the majority of radiation will be neutrinos means,

Electroweak emit very few photons.

Making them almost impossible to observe.

Make these stars a decent candidate to account for some Dark Matter.

(Source:http://news.discovery.com/space/exotic-electroweak-star-predicted.htm)

Preon StarsPreon Stars are really cool.. But also SUPER complicated..

Theoretical type of star

Made of PreonsAgain a theoretical subatomic particle.

Go from Atom > Proton > Quark > Preon.. Maybe..

They are an alternative to Strings.

(Source: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2009/08/preons-splitting-the-quark-because-subatomic-physics-wasnt-complicated-enough.html )

Preon StarsExpected to have MASSIVE densities

Exceeding 1023Kg/M3

Greater density than a Quark Star.

Yet Smaller and lighter than a White Dwarf and Neutron Stars.

Expected to originate from supernovae or the big bang.

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exotic_star)

Preon StarsThese objects in principle could be detected through gravitational lensing of Gamma Rays.

Preon stars are once again another candidate for Dark Matter.

However there is much doubt in the existence of preons in the first place.

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exotic_star)

Preon StarsFor a Preon star to exist and NOT become a Black Hole,

The Radius: <40m

Mass: <0.013 Solar Masses

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exotic_star)

Boson StarsAnother Hypothetical or Theoretical Star

Formed of BosonsConventional stars are formed of Fermions.

Bosons are particles with integer spins (0, 1, 2…)

All Force carrier particles are Bosons

Mesons are too.

FermionsLeptons & Quarks

(Source: http://www.particleadventure.org/fermibos.html)

Boson StarsTo exist, There must exist a stable type of boson

Must also possess a small mass

No current evidence of such a starHowever in the coming years it is possible to dectect such a star

By gravitational radiation emitted by a pair of orbiting Boson Stars.

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exotic_star )

Boson StarsAre thought to only be created during the primordial stages of the Big Bang Theory

Once again a candidate for Dark Matter Objects

In theory a Super Massive Boson Star could exist in a galactic core

May explain many observed properties of active galactic cores.

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exotic_star )

Boson Star and Dark Matter

(Paper 1)Solves Einstein-Klein-Gordon Equations

Figure out many different possible bosonic configurations

Did it Geometrically

MotivationObtain an exact solution

Show how they can account for missing Dark Matter

(Sharma, R.)

Electroweak Stars: How Nature May Capitalize on the Standard Model’s Ultimate Fuel. (Paper

2)Studied the possible existence of an electroweak star

Found solution to Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations describing such an object.

Their model suggest lifetime of quasi-equilibrium (Quark Burning vs. Gravity)

More than 10,000,000 years.

(De-Chang Dail.)

Chandra X-Ray Observatory, Cosmic X-Rays Reveal Evidence For New Form of Matter (Press

release.)This press release was about the two stars I mentioned earlier,

RX J1856.5-3754 (refer to as RX from now on.)

3C58

RX was found to radiate at 700,000*C with a diameter of 11.3Km

Too hot and too small to be a neutron star.(Contradicts earlier point… must be variable I’m unaware of)

Thought to be a Quark Star.

(Source: http://chandra.harvard.edu/press/02_releases/press_041002.html )

Chandra X-Ray Observatory, Cosmic X-Rays Reveal

Evidence For New Form of Matter (Press release.)

3C58 interestingly enough was the supernova observed by Chinese and Japanese Astronomers in 1181.

This star was previously thought to be a neutron star

Now thought to possibly be a quark star as-well.

(Source: http://chandra.harvard.edu/press/02_releases/press_041002.html )

SourcesDr. Antonio Padilla, University of Nottingham, (Source: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~ppzphy7/webpages/people/antonio_padilla/)

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exotic_star

Source: http://news.discovery.com/space/why-are-quark-stars-so-strange.htm

Source: http://news.discovery.com/space/exotic-electroweak-star-predicted.htm

Source: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2009/08/preons-splitting-the-quark-because-subatomic-physics-wasnt-complicated-enough.html

Source: http://www.particleadventure.org/fermibos.html

Source: http://chandra.harvard.edu/press/02_releases/press_041002.html

De-Chang Dai et al., (2009) "Electroweak stars: how nature may capitalize on the standard model's ultimate fuel"". arXiv:0912.0520

Sharma, R.; Karmakar, S.; Mukherjee, S. (2009) "Boson star and dark matter". arXiv.