Unravelling the Mystery of Neutron Stars with Strange Quark Cores
A new study published in Nature has revealed a strange quark core hidden inside neutron stars. The research team, led by scientists from the University of Hong Kong, found that the inner core of these stars is composed of strange quark matter, a type of ultra-dense matter made up of strange quarks. This is the first time that strange quark matter has been observed inside a neutron star.
Neutron stars are the incredibly dense remnants of supernovae, containing about 1.5 times the mass of the Sun in a radius of only 10 kilometers. Until now, scientists had thought that the inner cores of neutron stars were composed of either a single type of matter, such as neutrons or protons, or a mixture of neutrons and protons. However, the new study has revealed that the inner core of neutron stars may contain strange quark matter, which is made up of strange quarks. This discovery could have significant implications for our understanding of the fundamental nature of matter.
source: Phys.org