Asymptotic Freedom and Vacuum Polarization Determine the Astrophysical End State of Relativistic Gravitational Collapse: Quark--Gluon Plasma Star Instead of Black Hole

Abstract

A general relativistic model of an astrophysical hypermassive extremely magnetized ultra-compact self-bound quark--gluon plasma object that is supported against its ultimate gravitational implosion by the simultaneous action of the vacuum polarization driven by nonlinear electrodynamics (NLED: light-by-light scattering) and the quantum chromodynamics (QCD) asymptotic freedom, is presented. These QCD stars can be the final figures of the equilibrium of collapsing stellar cores. Post-supernova fallback material pushes the nascent remnant beyond its stability to collapse into a hybrid hypermassive neutron star (HHMNS). Hypercritical accretion can unbind the whole HHMNS's baryons to spontaneously break away color confinement, powering a first-order hadron-to-quark phase transition to a sea of ever-freer quarks and gluons. This core is hydro-stabilized by the steady, endlessly compression-admitting asymptotic freedom state, possibly via gluon-mediated enduring exchange of color charge among bound states. The nonlinear TOV equation indicates the occurrence of hypermassive QGP/QCD stars with a wide mass spectrum ($0\lesssim$ M${}_{\mathrm{Star}}^{\mathrm{QGP}}\lesssim$\,7\,M${}_{\odot }$ and beyond), for star radii ($0\lesssim R_{\mathrm{Star}}^{\mathrm{QGP}}\lesssim 24$\,km and beyond) with B-fields ($10^{14}\le$ B${}_{\mathrm{Star}}^{\mathrm{QGP}}\le 10^{16}$\,G and beyond). Such QCD stars can emulate what the true black holes are supposed to gravitationally do in most astrophysical settings. This color quark star could be found through a search for its eternal ``yo-yo'' state gravitational-wave emission, or via lensing phenomena like gravitational rainbows, as in this scenario it is expected that the light deflection angle, directly influenced by the larger effective mass/radius and magnetic field of the deflecting object, increases as the incidence angle decreases for impact parameter lower values.

Comments: 25 pages, 4 figues