Revisiting the Possibility of a Sharp Phase Transition in Cold Neutron Stars
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arXiv
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866911259584102400 |
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| author | Cai, Bao-Jun Li, Bao-An Ma, Yu-Gang |
| author_facet | Cai, Bao-Jun Li, Bao-An Ma, Yu-Gang |
| contents | First-order phase transitions (FOPTs) in cold neutron stars (NSs) have been extensively studied and have provided valuable insights into the behavior of the densest matter visible in our Universe, although a strong consensus has yet to emerge. Revisiting the possibility of a hadron-quark FOPT from a new perspective, we examine the interplay between the coupled nature of gravity and microscopic interactions in Tolman--Oppenheimer--Volkoff (TOV) equations and the fundamental requirements of thermodynamic consistency in NSs. We demonstrate that a sharp FOPT manifested as a plateau in the equation of state (EOS) $P(\varepsilon)$, i.e., pressure $P$ versus energy density $\varepsilon$, is intrinsically incompatible with the regularity conditions of the TOV solutions. Although numerical integrations of the TOV equations with EOSs incorporating FOPTs may yield seemingly reasonable mass-radius relations consistent with current observations, such results can mask underlying inconsistencies. Our analysis thus establishes a structural consistency criterion for constraining dense-matter EOSs using NS observables, complementing existing studies of possible phase transitions in NS interiors. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_08380 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Revisiting the Possibility of a Sharp Phase Transition in Cold Neutron Stars Cai, Bao-Jun Li, Bao-An Ma, Yu-Gang High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena High Energy Physics - Phenomenology High Energy Physics - Theory Nuclear Experiment Nuclear Theory First-order phase transitions (FOPTs) in cold neutron stars (NSs) have been extensively studied and have provided valuable insights into the behavior of the densest matter visible in our Universe, although a strong consensus has yet to emerge. Revisiting the possibility of a hadron-quark FOPT from a new perspective, we examine the interplay between the coupled nature of gravity and microscopic interactions in Tolman--Oppenheimer--Volkoff (TOV) equations and the fundamental requirements of thermodynamic consistency in NSs. We demonstrate that a sharp FOPT manifested as a plateau in the equation of state (EOS) $P(\varepsilon)$, i.e., pressure $P$ versus energy density $\varepsilon$, is intrinsically incompatible with the regularity conditions of the TOV solutions. Although numerical integrations of the TOV equations with EOSs incorporating FOPTs may yield seemingly reasonable mass-radius relations consistent with current observations, such results can mask underlying inconsistencies. Our analysis thus establishes a structural consistency criterion for constraining dense-matter EOSs using NS observables, complementing existing studies of possible phase transitions in NS interiors. |
| title | Revisiting the Possibility of a Sharp Phase Transition in Cold Neutron Stars |
| topic | High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena High Energy Physics - Phenomenology High Energy Physics - Theory Nuclear Experiment Nuclear Theory |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.08380 |