2002/07/31 by G. Lugones, C. R. Ghezzi, E. M. de Gouveia Dal Pino +1 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Acceleration #Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations #Asymmetry #Core (optical fiber) #Deflagration #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #Magnetic field #Magnetic mirror #Neutron star #Polar #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #Quark star #Strange matter #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/345977
published as Astrophys.J. 581 (2002) L101-L104 · 2 figures
arxiv created 2002/12/12 · openalex publication_date 2002/12/16 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We study the transition of nuclear matter to strange quark matter (SQM) inside neutron stars (NSs). It is shown that the influence of the magnetic field expected to be present in NS interiors has a dramatic effect on the propagation of a laminar deflagration (widely studied so far), generating a strong acceleration of the flame in the polar direction. This results in a strong asymmetry in the geometry of the just formed core of hot SQM, which resembles a cylinder orientated in the direction of the magnetic poles of the NS. This geometrical asymmetry gives rise to a bipolar emission of the thermal neutrino-antineutrino pairs produced in the process of SQM formation. The ν annihilate into e + e - pairs just above the polar caps of the NS, giving rise to a relativistic fireball, thus providing a suitable form of energy transport and conversion to γ-emission that may be associated to short gamma-ray bursts.