Bayesian approach study of hybrid neutron stars

arXiv:2512.08911 · nucl-th, astro-ph.HE · Submitted 2025-12-09 · Read on arXiv

nucl-th, astro-ph.HE

Submitted: 2025-12-09

Updated: 2026-09-14

Comments: 25 pages and 13 figures. Published version in PRD

Journal ref: F. Köpp, C. H. Lenzi, C. V. Flores, and D. P. Menezes, "Bayesian approach study of hybrid neutron stars," Phys. Rev. D 114, 043009 (2026)

DOI: 10.1103/4592-btbp

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The gist: In this work, we explore how astronomical observations (specifically measurements of masses and radii) can constrain the presence of quark matter inside neutron stars, namely the phase transition

Terminology

Abstract

In this work, we explore how astronomical observations (specifically measurements of masses and radii) can constrain the presence of quark matter inside neutron stars, namely the phase transition from nuclear matter to deconfined quark matter. Our approach employs Bayesian analysis to study this constraint. In this sense to model Hadronic matter we used the relativistic mean-field approximation, for which we have selected two parameter sets: NL3*ωρ, representing hadronic matter with nucleons only, and EL3ωρ with nucleons only and EL3ωρY, which includes hyperons. On the other hand deconfined quark matter is modeled using the vector-MIT bag model. Also, for our purpose, the first order phase transition is implemented using the Maxwell construction. Bayesian inference is performed by optimizing three parameters: the bag constant (i.e. B 1/4), the vector coupling constant (G v), and the Dirac sea contribution (b 4). We found that a phase transition could exist at densities below 2.0,n 0 for both the EL3ωρ and NL3*ωρ parametrizations. As a consequence, the inferred parameters of the vector MIT bag model, based on our likelihood function, imply hybrid stars with large quark cores.

Sources

Related papers