Potentials between heavy-light mesons from lattice and inverse scattering theory

We extend our investigation of heavy-light meson-meson interactions to a system consisting of a heavy-light meson and the corresponding antiparticle. An effective potential is obtained from meson-antimeson Green-functions computed in a quenched simulation with staggered fermions. Comparisons with a simulation using an $O(a^2)$ tree-level and tadpole improved gauge action and a full QCD simulation show that lattice discretization errors and dynamical quarks have no drastic influence. Calculations from inverse scattering theory propose a similar shape for $K\bar{K}$ potentials.Comment: 3 pages, 5 EPS figures, Poster presented at "Lattice'97", to appear in the proceeding

Thickness of the strangelet-crystal crust of a strange star

It has recently been pointed out that if the surface tension of quark matter is low enough, the surface of a strange star will be a crust consisting of a crystal of charged strangelets in a neutralizing background of electrons. This affects the behavior of the surface, and must be taken into account in efforts to observationally rule out strange stars. We calculate the thickness of this ``mixed phase'' crust, taking into account the effects of surface tension and Debye screening of electric charge. Our calculation uses a generic parametrization of the equation of state of quark matter. For a reasonable range of quark matter equations of state, and surface tension of order a few MeV/fm^2, we find that the preferred crystal structure always involves spherical strangelets, not rods or slabs of quark matter. We find that for a star of radius 10 km and mass 1.5 Msolar, the strangelet-crystal crust can be from zero to hundreds of meters thick, the thickness being greater when the strange quark is heavier, and the surface tension is smaller. For smaller quark stars the crust will be even thicker.Comment: 10 pages, LaTe

Asymmetric superconductivity in metallic systems

Different types of superfluid ground states have been investigated in systems of two species of fermions with Fermi surfaces that do not match. This study is relevant for cold atomic systems, condensed matter physics and quark matter. In this paper we consider this problem in the case the fermionic quasi-particles can transmute into one another and only their total number is conserved. We use a BCS approximation to study superconductivity in two-band metallic systems with inter and intra-band interactions. Tuning the hybridization between the bands varies the mismatch of the Fermi surfaces and produces different instabilities. For inter-band attractive interactions we find a first order normal-superconductor and a homogeneous metastable phase with gapless excitations. In the case of intra-band interactions, the transition from the superconductor to the normal state as hybridization increases is continuous and associated with a quantum critical point. The case when both interactions are present is also considered.Comment: new enlarged version, new title, 7 pages, 7 figure

Colour superconductivity in finite systems

In this paper we study the effect of finite size on the two-flavour colour superconducting state. As well as restricting the quarks to a box, we project onto states of good baryon number and onto colour singlets, these being necessary restrictions on any observable ``quark nuggets''. We find that whereas finite size alone has a significant effect for very small boxes, with the superconducting state often being destroyed, the effect of projection is to restore it again. The infinite-volume limit is a good approximation even for quite small systems.Comment: 14 pages RevTeX4, 12 eps figure

Gapless Color Superconductivity

We present the dispersion relations for quasiparticle excitations about the color-flavor locked ground state of QCD at high baryon density. In the presence of condensates which pair light and strange quarks there need not be an energy gap in the quasiparticle spectrum. This raises the possibility of gapless color superconductivity, with a Meissner effect but no minimum excitation energy. Analysis within a toy model suggests that gapless color superconductivity may occur only as a metastable phase.Comment: 4 pages, Revtex, eps figures include

Bulk viscosity in the nonlinear and anharmonic regime of strange quark matter

The bulk viscosity of cold, dense three-flavor quark matter is studied as a function of temperature and the amplitude of density oscillations. The study is also extended to the case of two different types of anharmonic oscillations of density. We point several qualitative effects due to the anharmonicity, although quantitatively they appear to be relatively small. We also find that, in most regions of the parameter space, with the exception of the case of a very large amplitude of density oscillations (i.e. 10% and above), nonlinear effects and anharmonicity have a small effect on the interplay of the nonleptonic and semileptonic processes in the bulk viscosity.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures; v2: Appendix B is omitted, a few new discussions added and some new references adde

Quark matter in compact stars?

Ozel, in a recent reanalysis of EXO 0748-676 observational data (astro-ph/0605106), concluded that quark matter probably does not exist in the center of compact stars. We show that the data is actually consistent with the presence of quark matter in compact stars.Comment: 4 pages, LaTeX; New title and overall rewrite to reflect version published in Nature. Conclusions unchange

SO(10) Cosmic Strings and SU(3) Color Cheshire Charge

Certain cosmic strings that occur in GUT models such as $SO(10)$ can carry a magnetic flux which acts nontrivially on objects carrying $SU(3)_{color}$ quantum numbers. We show that such strings are non-Abelian Alice strings carrying nonlocalizable colored ``Cheshire" charge. We examine claims made in the literature that $SO(10)$ strings can have a long-range, topological Aharonov-Bohm interaction that turns quarks into leptons, and observe that such a process is impossible. We also discuss flux-flux scattering using a multi-sheeted formalism.Comment: 37 Pages, 8 Figures (available upon request) phyzzx, iassns-hep-93-6, itp-sb-93-6

Illuminating Dense Quark Matter

We imagine shining light on a lump of cold dense quark matter, in the CFL phase and therefore a transparent insulator. We calculate the angles of reflection and refraction, and the intensity of the reflected and refracted light. Although the only potentially observable context for this phenomenon (reflection of light from and refraction of light through an illuminated quark star) is unlikely to be realized, our calculation casts new light on the old idea that confinement makes the QCD vacuum behave as if filled with a condensate of color-magnetic monopoles.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Three and Two Colours Finite Density QCD at Strong Coupling: A New Look

Simulations in finite density, beta=0 lattice QCD by means of the Monomer-Dimer-Polymer algorithm show a signal of first order transition at finite temporal size. This behaviour agrees with predictions of the mean field approximation, but is difficult to reconcile with infinite mass analytical solution. The MDP simulations are considered in detail and severe convergence problems are found for the SU(3) gauge group, in a wide region of chemical potential. Simulations of SU(2) model show discrepancies with MDP results as well.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures, to appear in Nucl. Phys.