Summary
Astrophysicists explore the existence of quark stars, a potential new class of celestial objects that may exist between neutron stars and black holes. Neutron stars, remnants of massive stars that have undergone supernova explosions, are held together by neutron degeneracy pressure. However, if these stars exceed a certain mass limit, known as the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff limit, they are expected to collapse into black holes. Researchers speculate that quark stars could represent a state where quarks themselves provide the degeneracy pressure, allowing these stars to exist without collapsing.
Evidence for quark stars remains elusive, with some neutron stars exhibiting masses above two solar masses but not conclusively exceeding the TOV limit. Various methods have been proposed to identify quark stars, including examining pulsar temperatures and rotation speeds. Some scientists suggest that quark stars might not be rare but rather a common phase within neutron stars, potentially leading to phenomena like quark novas, which could outshine supernovae.
The discussion also touches on the concept of strange matter, which could be produced in the cores of quark stars. Strange matter is theorized to be stable and self-replicating, raising concerns about its potential to convert ordinary matter into strange matter if it were to escape into the universe. However, current observations do not support the widespread existence of strange matter, suggesting that while quark stars may exist, the catastrophic implications of strange matter are less likely. The ongoing research highlights the complexity and mystery of stellar evolution and the fundamental forces governing the universe.
Show Notes
Check out https://NordVPN.com/coolworlds for 4 months for free when you sign up today, thanks to Nord for sponsoring us!Could there be a bizarre exotic type of star out there made of quarks? What would these things be like and how could they form? Join us as we explore quark stars, and the terrifying implications they have for forging strange matter within their cores...Written & presented by Prof. David Kipping. Edited by Jorge Casas. Special thanks to Dr Sam Gregson (www.youtube.com/@BadBoyofScience) for fact checking our script.→ Support our research: https://www.coolworldslab.com/support→ Get merch: https://teespring.com/stores/cool-worlds-store→ Check out our podcast: www.youtube.com/@CoolWorldsPodcastTHANK-YOU to D. Smith, M. Sloan, L. Sanborn, C. Bottaccini, D. Daughaday, A. Jones, S. Brownlee, N. Kildal, Z. Star, E. West, T. Zajonc, C. Wolfred, L. Skov, G. Benson, A. De Vaal, M. Elliott, B. Daniluk, M. Forbes, S. Vystoropskyi, S. Lee, Z. Danielson, C. Fitzgerald, C. Souter, M. Gillette, T. Jeffcoat, J. Rockett, D. Murphree, T. Donkin, K. Myers, A. Schoen, K. Dabrowski, J. Black, R. Ramezankhani, J. Armstrong, K. Weber, S. Marks, L. Robinson, S. Roulier, B. Smith, J. Cassese, J. Kruger, S. Way, P. Finch, S. Applegate, L. Watson, E. Zahnle, N. Gebben, J. Bergman, E. Dessoi, C. Macdonald, M. Hedlund, P. Kaup, C. Hays, W. Evans, D. Bansal, J. Curtin, J. Sturm, RAND Corp., M. Donovan, N. Corwin, M. Mangione, K. Howard, L. Deacon, G. Metts, G. Genova, R. Provost, B. Sigurjonsson, G. Fullwood, B. Walford, J. Boyd, N. De Haan, J. Gillmer, R. Williams, E. Garland, A. Leishman, A. Phan Le, R. Lovely, M. Spoto, A. Steele, M. Varenka, K. Yarbrough, A. Cornejo, D. Compos, F. Demopoulos, G. Bylinsky, J. Werner, B. Pearson, S. Thayer, T. Edris, A. Harrison, B. Seeley, F. Blood, M. O'Brien, P. Muzyka, E. Loomans, D. Lee, J. Sargent, M. Czirr, F. Krotzer, I. Williams, J. Sattler, J. Smallbon, B. Reese, J. Yoder, O. Shabtay & X. Yao.REFERENCES► Drake et al 2002, Is RX J185635-375 a Quark Star?, ApJ 572, 996: https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0204159► Truemper et al 2003, The Puzzles of RX J1856.5-3754: Neutron Star or Quark Star?, Nuc Phys B Proc S 132, 560: https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0312600► Kareet et al 2006, Evidence for 1122 Hz X-Ray Burst Oscillations from the Neutron-Star X-Ray Transient XTE J1739-285, ApJ 657, L97: https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0611716► Chakrabarty 2008, The Spin Distribution of Millisecond X-ray Pulsars, In "A Decade if Accreting Millisecond X-Ray Pulsars", AIP Conf Proc 1068, 67: https://arxiv.org/abs/0809.4031► Annala et al 2020, Evidence for quark-matter cores in massive neutron stars, Nat Phys 16, 907: https://arxiv.org/abs/1903.09121► Cherman et al 2009, Bound on the speed of sound from holography, Phys Rev D 80, 066003: https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.80.066003► Ouyed et al 2002, Quark Nova, A&A 390, 39: https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0105109► Gell-Mann 1964, A schematic model of baryons and mesons, Phys Lett 8, 214: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0031916364920013► Zweig 1964, An SU3 model for strong interaction symmetry and its breaking, Developments in the Quark Theory of Hadrons, 22: https://cds.cern.ch/record/570209► Rochester & Butler 1947, Evidence for the Existence of New Unstable Elementary Particles, Nat 160, 855: https://www.nature.com/articles/160855a0► Bodmer 1971, Collapsed Nuclei, Phys Rev D 4, 1601: https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.4.1601► Witten 1984, Cosmic separation of phases, Phys Rev D 30, 272: https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.30.272► Farhi & Jaffe 1984, Strange matter, Phys Rev D 30, 2379: https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.30.2379► Caldwell & Friedman 1991, Evidence against a strange ground state for baryons, Phys Lett B 264, 143: https://ui.adsabs.harvard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from Cool Worlds
Use code coolworlds at https://incogni.com/coolworlds to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan.Many of you wanted me to talk about the different interstellar propulsion ideas out there so we figured a fun way to compare them all would be in a tier list! Today we take a look at 14 different methods proposed to explore the stars. Let us know your rankings down below in the comments.Written & presented by Prof. David Kipping. Edited by Jorge Casas.→ Support our research: https://www.coolworldslab.com/support→ Get merch: https://teespring.com/stores/cool-worlds-store→ Check out our podcast: www.youtube.com/@CoolWorldsPodcastTHANK-YOU to T. Widdowson, D. Smith, L. Sanborn, C. Bottaccini, D. Daughaday, S. Brownlee, E. West, T. Zajonc, A. De Vaal, M. Elliott, B. Daniluk, S. Vystoropskyi, S. Lee, Z. Danielson, C. Fitzgerald, C. Souter, M. Gillette, T. Jeffcoat, J. Rockett, D. Murphree, M. Sanford, T. Donkin, A. Schoen, K. Dabrowski, R. Ramezankhani, J. Armstrong, S. Marks, B. Smith, J. Kruger, S. Applegate, E. Zahnle, N. Gebben, J. Bergman, C. Macdonald, M. Hedlund, P. Kaup, W. Evans, N. Corwin, K. Howard, L. Deacon, G. Metts, R. Provost, G. Fullwood, N. De Haan, R. Williams, E. Garland, R. Lovely, A. Cornejo, D. Compos, F. Demopoulos, G. Bylinsky, J. Werner, S. Thayer, T. Edris, F. Blood, M. O'Brien, D. Lee, J. Sargent, M. Czirr, F. Krotzer, I. Williams, J. Sattler, B. Reese, O. Shabtay, X. Yao, S. Saverys, A. Nimmerjahn, C. Seay, D. Johnson, L. Cunningham, M. Morrow, M. Campbell, B. Devermont, Y. Muheim, A. Stark, C. Caminero, P. Borisoff, A. Donovan, H. Schiff, J. Cos, J. Oliver, B. Kite, C. Hansen, J. Shamp, & R. Chaffee.REFERENCES► Kipping, D., 2024, "The Halo Drive: Fuel-Free Relativistic Propulsion of Large Masses via Recycled Boomerang Photons", JBIS: https://arxiv.org/abs/1903.03423MUSICLicensed by SoundStripe.com (SS) [shorturl.at/ptBHI], Artlist.io, via CC Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) or with permission from the artist.0:00 Tamuz Dekel - Quiet Pull2:55 Joachim Heinrich - Horizon4:17 Joachim Heinrich - Stjärna6:40 Hill - World of Wonder7:46 Chris Zabriskie - The Oceans Continue to Rise8:17 We Dream of Eden - Discovery9:48 Chris Zabriskie - The Oceans Continue to Rise11:11 Hill - Arctic Warmth13:50 Hill - Northern Boards17:25 Hill - Fragile21:02 Hill - The MeekCHAPTERS0:00 Intro1:33 Chemical Rockets3:31 Nuclear Thermal Rockets5:55 Nuclear Pulse8:20 Incogni9:48 Solar Sails12:15 Fission Sails13:05 Laser Sails14:47 Alcubierre Drive15:24 Wormholes16:09 Antimatter17:28 Mind Upload18:02 Negative Mass18:42 Halo Drive19:46 Ion Engine20:32 Bussard Ramjet21:03 Outro22:51 Credits#InterstellarPropulsion #TierList #CoolWorlds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Astrobiology an exciting new field studying how life begins and the conditions needed both on Earth and elsewhere in the cosmos. Columbia's Director of Astrobiology, Dr Caleb Scharf, dropped into the Cool Worlds Lab to tell us about his new paper which created a "Drake Equation" for abiogenesis. Whilst we can only guess at many of the factors in the equation right now, it provides a framework for tackling this problem going forward.::More about this Video::► The paper by Scharf & Cronin (2016), "Quantifying the Origins of Life on a Planetary Scale": https://arxiv.org/abs/1511.02549► Drake Equation explained on the SETI website: http://www.seti.org/drakeequation► Outro music by Taylor Davis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl9kI1yQKZk::Playlists For Channel::Latest Cool Worlds Videos ► http://bit.ly/NewCoolWorldsCool Worlds Research ► http://bit.ly/CoolWorldsResearchGuest Videos ► http://bit.ly/CoolWorldsGuestsQ&A Videos ► http://bit.ly/CoolWorldsQAScience of TV/Film ► http://bit.ly/ScienceMovies::Follow us::SUBSCRIBE to the channel http://bit.ly/CoolWorldsSubscribeCool Worlds Lab http://coolworlds.astro.columbia.eduTwitter https://twitter.com/david_kippingInstagram https://www.instagram.com/cool.worldsTHANKS FOR WATCHING!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Unscripted excitement about what's coming next...→ Support our research: https://www.coolworldslab.com/support→ Get merch: https://teespring.com/stores/cool-worlds-store→ Check out our podcast: www.youtube.com/@CoolWorldsPodcastPrevious videos in this story…- Some Bad Newshttps://youtu.be/HtHqmlAb1pA- Some Good News https://youtu.be/4sv_sa_tLPg?si=9D4Pzh8H0TkisrTr- Why Exomoons Are So Important https://youtu.be/b2crw2DGy38?si=-mEc8rznBsO0GDahTHANK-YOU to T. Widdowson, D. Smith, L. Sanborn, C. Bottaccini, D. Daughaday, S. Brownlee, E. West, T. Zajonc, A. De Vaal, M. Elliott, B. Daniluk, S. Vystoropskyi, S. Lee, Z. Danielson, C. Fitzgerald, C. Souter, M. Gillette, T. Jeffcoat, J. Rockett, D. Murphree, M. Sanford, T. Donkin, A. Schoen, K. Dabrowski, R. Ramezankhani, J. Armstrong, S. Marks, B. Smith, J. Kruger, S. Applegate, E. Zahnle, N. Gebben, J. Bergman, C. Macdonald, M. Hedlund, P. Kaup, W. Evans, N. Corwin, K. Howard, L. Deacon, G. Metts, R. Provost, G. Fullwood, N. De Haan, R. Williams, E. Garland, R. Lovely, A. Cornejo, D. Compos, F. Demopoulos, G. Bylinsky, J. Werner, S. Thayer, T. Edris, F. Blood, M. O'Brien, D. Lee, J. Sargent, M. Czirr, F. Krotzer, I. Williams, J. Sattler, B. Reese, O. Shabtay, X. Yao, S. Saverys, A. Nimmerjahn, C. Seay, D. Johnson, L. Cunningham, M. Morrow, M. Campbell, B. Devermont, Y. Muheim, A. Stark, C. Caminero, P. Borisoff, A. Donovan, H. Schiff, J. Cos, J. Oliver, B. Kite, C. Hansen, J. Shamp, & R. Chaffee.#Exomoons #JWST #CoolWorlds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Is faster-than-light (FTL) travel possible? In most discussions of this, we get hung up on the physics of particular ideas, such as wormholes or warp drives. But today, we take a more zoomed out approach that addresses all FTL propulsion - as well as FTL messaging. Because it turns out that they all allow for time travel. Join us today as we explore why this is so and the profound consequences that ensue.Written & presented by Prof David Kipping. Special thanks to Prof Matt Buckley for fact checking and his great blog article that inspired this video (http://www.physicsmatt.com/blog/2016/8/25/why-ftl-implies-time-travel). → Support our research: https://www.coolworldslab.com/support→ Get Stash! https://teespring.com/stores/cool-worlds-storeTHANK-YOU to our supporters D. Smith, M. Sloan, C. Bottaccini, D. Daughaday, A. Jones, S. Brownlee, N. Kildal, Z. Star, E. West, T. Zajonc, C. Wolfred, L. Skov, G. Benson, A. De Vaal, M. Elliott, B. Daniluk, M. Forbes, S. Vystoropskyi, S. Lee, Z. Danielson, C. Fitzgerald, C. Souter, M. Gillette, T. Jeffcoat, H. Jensen, J. Rockett, N. Fredrickson, D. Holland, E. Hanway, D. Murphree, S. Hannum, T. Donkin, K. Myers, A. Schoen, K. Dabrowski, J. Black, R. Ramezankhani, J. Armstrong, K. Weber, S. Marks, L. Robinson, F. Van Exter, S. Roulier, B. Smith, P. Masterson, R. Sievers, G. Canterbury, J. Kill, J. Cassese, J. Kruger, S. Way, P. Finch, S. Applegate, L. Watson, T. Wheeler, E. Zahnle, N. Gebben, J. Bergman, E. Dessoi, J. Alexander, C. Macdonald, M. Hedlund, P. Kaup, C. Hays, S. Krasner, W. Evans, J. Curtin, J. Sturm, RAND Corp, T. Kordell, T. Ljungberg & M. Janke.::References::► Alcubierre, M., 1994, The warp drive: hyper-fast travel within general relativity, Classical and Quantum Gravity, 11 L73: https://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0009013► Alcubierre & Lobo (2021), Warp drive basics, https://arxiv.org/abs/2103.05610► Pfenning, M. & Ford, L., 1997, The unphysical nature of Warp Drive, Classical and Quantum Gravity, 14, 1743: https://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/9702026► Finazzi, S., Liberati, S., Barceló, C., 2009, Semiclassical instability of dynamical warp drives, Physical Review D., 79, 124017: https://arxiv.org/abs/0904.0141► McMonigal, B., Lewis, G., O'Byrne, P., 2012, Alcubierre warp drive: On the matter of matter, Physical Review D., 85, 064024: https://arxiv.org/abs/1202.5708► Everett, A., 1996, Warp drive and causality, Physical Review D, 53, 7365: https://journals.aps.org/prd/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevD.53.7365► For a more rigorous breakdown of the axis flipping in Minkowski spacetime, see Chapter 3 of "Special Relativity" by Valerio Faraoni (https://williamsgj.people.cofc.edu/Minkowski%20Spacetime.pdf)::Music::Music licensed by SoundStripe.com (SS) [shorturl.at/ptBHI], or via Creative Commons (CC) Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), or with permission from the artist► Hill - An Interesting Retirement [https://open.spotify.com/album/3S2hu2EP1lYOXHzwEHcclb]► Joachim Heinrich - Stjärna► Falls - Life In Binary► Chris Zabriskie - Cylinder Two► Chris Zabriskie - Cylinder Five► Chris Zabriskie - Cylinder Four► Falls - Ripley► Caleb Etheridge - Always Dreaming► Joachim Heinrich - Y► Indive - Trace Correction::Film/TV clips used::► Interstellar (2014) Paramount Pictures► Contact (1997) Warnes Bros.► The Imitation Game (2014) The Weinstein Company► Star Trek: Generations (1994) Paramount Pictures► Cosmos: Possible Worlds (2020) National Geographic Fox► Stephen Hawking's Favorite Places (2016) Curiosity Stream► Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) 20th Century Fox► Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999) Paramount Television► The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008) 20th Century Fox► Stargate (1994) MGM/UA Distribution Co.► Star Trek: Beyond (2016) Paramount Pictures► Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) Paramount Pictures► The Expanse ( Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Proxima Centauri is our nearest star but we still don't know whether it has any planets. Prof Kipping discusses our planet hunting campaign using the space telescope MOST and gives you the latest news.::More about this Video::► Gillon et al. (2016), "Temperate Earth-sized planets transiting a nearby ultracool dwarf star": http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature17448.html► Muirhead at al. (2012), "Characterizing the Cool KOIs III. KOI-961: A Small Star with Large Proper Motion and Three Small Planets": http://arxiv.org/abs/1201.2189► MOST telescope homepage: http://most.astro.ubc.ca► Outro music by Taylor Davis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl9kI1yQKZk::Playlists For Channel::Latest Cool Worlds Videos ► http://bit.ly/NewCoolWorldsCool Worlds Research ► http://bit.ly/CoolWorldsResearchGuest Videos ► http://bit.ly/CoolWorldsGuestsQ&A Videos ► http://bit.ly/CoolWorldsQAScience of TV/Film ► http://bit.ly/ScienceMovies::Follow us::SUBSCRIBE to the channel http://bit.ly/CoolWorldsSubscribeCool Worlds Lab http://coolworlds.astro.columbia.eduTwitter https://twitter.com/david_kippingInstagram https://www.instagram.com/cool.worldsTHANKS FOR WATCHING!! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices