Thermal evolution and light curves of young bare strange stars

Area of Science:

• Astrophysics
• Nuclear Physics
• Particle Physics

Background:

• Young bare strange stars are hypothetical compact objects composed of deconfined quarks.
• Their thermal emission properties are not well understood and may differ significantly from neutron stars.

Purpose of the Study:

• To numerically investigate the cooling and thermal luminosity of young bare strange stars.
• To identify unique observational signatures distinguishing bare strange stars from neutron stars.

Main Methods:

• Numerical simulations of the cooling process.
• Analysis of thermal luminosity, focusing on e(+)e(-) pair production.

Main Results:

• Thermal luminosity can exceed the Eddington limit, primarily driven by quark surface pair production.
• Mean photon energies are around 10(2) keV, differing from neutron star emissions.
• The energy gap of superconducting quark matter can be estimated from light curves (0.5 MeV–a few MeV).

Conclusions:

• Bare strange stars possess distinct thermal emission properties, offering a potential observational signature.
• The study provides a method to estimate the energy gap of superconducting quark matter.