Pith. sign in

REVIEW 2 major objections 5 minor 75 references

Adding three-flavor quarkyonic matter to hyperon-rich neutron stars stiffens the equation of state and raises the maximum mass by up to about 0.1 solar masses within current multimessenger constraints, offering a concrete path to resolving

Reviewed by Pith at T0; open to challenge. T0 means a machine referee read the full paper against a public rubric. the ladder, T0–T4 →

T0 review · deepseek-v4-flash

2026-08-01 13:03 UTC pith:2SJ4JJAJ

load-bearing objection A respectable three-flavor quarkyonic EOS with a clear stiffening mechanism, but the quark beta-decoupling assumption is the load-bearing wall and the payoff is a modest 0.1 Msun. the 2 major comments →

arxiv 2607.19220 v2 pith:2SJ4JJAJ submitted 2026-07-21 nucl-th astro-ph.HEhep-phnucl-ex

Quarkyonic Stars with Strangeness

classification nucl-th astro-ph.HEhep-phnucl-ex
keywords quarkyonic matterhyperon puzzleneutron starsequation of statestrangenessbeta equilibriumbaryon octetmaximum mass
verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal T4 reserved

The pith

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

This paper proposes a three-flavor quarkyonic matter model—matter in which baryons occupy a thin momentum-space shell and quarks fill a Fermi sea beneath them—for the full octet of baryons plus strange quarks. It claims that the quarkyonic shell structure pushes nucleons to higher momenta, raising their chemical potentials and so bringing hyperons in at lower densities than in ordinary hadronic matter, while simultaneously stiffening the equation of state. The stiffening outweighs the hyperon softening, raising the maximum neutron-star mass from about 2.04 solar masses in the purely hadronic case to as high as 2.21 solar masses in the most favorable parameter set, and by roughly 0.1 solar masses within the window allowed by current multimessenger observations. This points to a resolution of the hyperon puzzle: neutron stars can contain strange baryons without losing the ability to support two-solar-mass pulsars. The model also produces a peak in the sound speed near hyperon onset, which the authors connect to multimessenger data.

Core claim

The paper's central claim is that quarkyonic matter with strangeness couples two effects: the momentum-shell structure raises nucleon chemical potentials, so hyperons appear at lower densities than in hadronic matter (around 2.9–4.0 times nuclear saturation density, versus about 4 times for the hadronic baseline), and the same shell structure stiffens the equation of state. Solving the TOV equations gives maximum masses of 2.06–2.21 M⊙ across parameter sets, up from 2.04 M⊙ for the purely hadronic reference; the observationally allowed window (Λ_Qyc ≈ 300 MeV) yields an enhancement of roughly 0.1 M⊙. The squared speed of sound shows a peak near hyperon onset, interpreted as the combined quar

What carries the argument

The central object is the quarkyonic momentum-shell ansatz: baryons are confined to a spherical shell of thickness Δ = Λ_Qyc^3/k_FB^2 + κ Λ_Qyc/N_c^2 in momentum space, while a Fermi sphere of free quarks fills the interior up to k_FQ = k_FB − Δ/N_c. The two parameters Λ_Qyc and κ control when the quarkyonic transition starts and how stiff the resulting equation of state becomes. The extension to strangeness adds u, d, s quarks and the full baryon octet, with quark flavor fractions fixed not by weak equilibrium but by the constituent-quark content of the octet baryons via a dissociation assumption. The hadronic sector uses the HSL35 phenomenological interaction, a density-, momentum-, and is

Load-bearing premise

The model assumes the two-flavor quarkyonic equations—with a single universal baryon momentum and a single universal quark momentum—stay valid for beta-equilibrated matter containing eight baryon species and strange quarks, and that quarks never enter chemical equilibrium.

What would settle it

A precise radius measurement of a 1.4-solar-mass neutron star: the early-transition quarkyonic case (Λ_Qyc = 250 MeV) predicts R_1.4 ≈ 12.8 km and Λ_1.4 ≈ 460, while the hadronic baseline and late-transition cases cluster near 11.4 km and about 220; a measurement clearly below 12 km would rule out the strong early stiffening, while one near 11.4 km would favor a late transition and limit the mass enhancement.

Watch this falsifier — get emailed when new claim-graph text bears on it.

If this is right

  • Neutron stars with quarkyonic, hyperon-rich cores can still reach 2.1–2.2 solar masses, so hyperons need not be excluded from stellar cores to explain massive pulsars.
  • Hyperons are expected to appear at lower densities (around 3n0 or less for early transitions) than in standard hadronic stars, making strangeness a common, not exotic, feature of neutron-star matter.
  • The radius and tidal deformability of a 1.4-solar-mass star become sensitive probes of the quarkyonic transition scale: early transitions give R_1.4 ≈ 12.8 km and Λ_1.4 ≈ 460, while later transitions approach the hadronic values near 11.4 km and 220.
  • The predicted sound-speed peak near hyperon onset gives a specific non-monotonic signature that future gravitational-wave detections and X-ray pulse-profile analyses can search for.
  • The constraint Λ_Qyc ≳ 300 MeV arising from multimessenger data makes the model's maximum-mass enhancement a falsifiable prediction rather than a free-parameter fit.

Where Pith is reading between the lines

These are editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

  • If the shell-thickness parameters were derived from QCD rather than treated as free, the preferred window around 300 MeV could become a quantitative bridge between quark confinement and neutron-star observables.
  • The assumption that quarks are chemically frozen (no weak equilibrium for quarks) is a strong simplification; allowing quark chemical potentials to equilibrate with leptons could change strangeness fractions and should be tested to see whether the mass enhancement survives.
  • The same machinery could be applied to proto-neutron-star evolution and binary-merger remnants, where the lowered hyperon threshold would modify neutrino emission and post-merger dynamics.
  • A Bayesian reanalysis combining these mass-radius curves with the full current data set could give tight posterior constraints on Λ_Qyc and κ, effectively measuring the momentum-shell thickness.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit.

Referee Report

2 major / 5 minor

Summary. The manuscript extends the quarkyonic matter framework of McLerran and Reddy to include u, d, s quarks and the full baryon octet. Baryons populate a momentum-space shell described by Eqs. (2)-(5), quarks and leptons are treated as free Fermi gases, and the hadronic sector uses the HSL35 N3LO Skyrme interaction. Beta-equilibrium is imposed among baryons and leptons, while quark flavor fractions are fixed by the constituent quark content of the dissociating baryons via Eq. (25). The authors find that the quarkyonic mechanism lowers the hyperon onset density, stiffens the equation of state, and raises M_TOV from 2.04 Msun in the purely hadronic case to 2.21 Msun for Lambda_Qyc = 250 MeV, kappa = 1.8 (Table I). After applying current GW170817/NICER/HESS constraints, the preferred parameter region Lambda_Qyc ~ 300-350 MeV gives M_TOV enhancements of roughly 0.02-0.07 Msun relative to the conventional hyperonic star.

Significance. If the model assumptions are accepted, the paper provides a concrete three-flavor quarkyonic-star calculation with a full baryon octet and connects the sound-speed peak to a quarkyonic mechanism. Strengths include the explicit derivation of the chemical potentials and pressure in Section II, a two-parameter scan that is not tuned to reproduce M_TOV, use of a modern Skyrme interaction (HSL35), and comparison with several recent multimessenger constraints. The qualitative stiffening is a direct consequence of the assumed shell structure and is robust to some details. However, the quantitative claims rest on two unvalidated ansatze: the transfer of two-flavor shell formulas to octet+strangeness matter, and the exclusion of quarks from weak equilibrium. Because the reported maximum-mass enhancement is only ~0.1 Msun (and less under the imposed constraints), these assumptions are not merely cosmetic. The baseline HSL35 hyperonic star already reaches 2.04 Msun, so the quarkyonic mechanism is incremental rather than essential for satisfying the 2 Msun constraint.

major comments (2)
  1. [II C, Eq. (25)] The central closure relation fixes the quark flavor fractions from baryon dissociation and states that quarks do not directly participate in beta-equilibrium. However, quark chemical potentials (Eq. 18) and quark densities still enter the pressure (Eq. 27) and charge neutrality (Eq. 16). In cold, dense neutron-star matter the weak processes d -> u + e + nu_bar, s -> u + e + nu_bar, and s <-> d are expected to be fast, enforcing flavor equilibrium like mu_d = mu_u + mu_e and mu_s = mu_d on astrophysical timescales; confinement does not suppress these rates. Replacing Eq. (25) with such weak-equilibrium conditions would change the charged-particle densities required by Eq. (16), the baryon chemical potentials via Eq. (17), the hyperon onset densities, and ultimately M_TOV. Since the headline enhancement is only about 0.1 Msun, even a moderate composition shift could alter the conclusion. T
  2. [II B, Eqs. (1)-(5)] The quarkyonic shell-thickness relation (Eq. 5) and the momentum relation (Eq. 4) were originally derived for isospin-symmetric two-flavor matter. The manuscript assumes that the same equations remain valid for the full baryon octet and three quark flavors with universal k_FB and k_FQ, but no derivation or validation is provided. This ansatz directly controls n_onset, the hyperon thresholds, the sound speed, and M_TOV. There is also an apparent normalization issue: Eqs. (2)-(3) use a degeneracy factor of 2 appropriate for two flavors, while Eq. (6) sums over 8 baryons and 3 quark flavors. It should be clarified how k_FB is determined from n_B in the general case and whether baryon-number conservation in Eq. (15) is compatible with Eqs. (1)-(3). A comparison with an alternative flavor-dependent shell description (e.g., Refs. [27,28]) or a sensitivity study would substantially strengthen t
minor comments (5)
  1. [Abstract/Conclusions vs Sec. III B] The abstract and conclusions state that M_TOV is enhanced by about 0.1 Msun under current multimessenger constraints, but Section III B reports at most 0.07 Msun when the HESS J1731-347 constraint is imposed (Lambda_Qyc = 300 MeV, kappa = 2.7). The 0.1 Msun value is obtained only without the HESS constraint. Please reconcile this wording.
  2. [Eqs. (3), (25)] The symbol n_Q is used with two different meanings: in Eqs. (1)-(3) it denotes the quark baryon-number density (with the 2/3pi^2 normalization), while in Eq. (25) it denotes the total quark number density n_u + n_d + n_s. This factor-of-3 ambiguity should be fixed to avoid confusion.
  3. [Eqs. (21)-(22)] The expressions for the derivatives are dense and the bracket structure in Eq. (22) is hard to parse. Please check the algebra and add an intermediate step or a clarifying sentence.
  4. [Fig. 1] The hyperon-onset densities n_h quoted in the text are not marked in the figure. Adding vertical lines or arrows would make the 'lower onset density' claim easier to verify.
  5. [Sec. II B, text after Eq. (8)] The statement that 'the same Eqs. (1)-(5) remain valid' should be expanded. In particular, it should be explained whether the factor 2 in Eqs. (2)-(3) is meant as an effective degeneracy for the whole octet or is replaced by the sums in Eq. (6), and how Eq. (8) relates to the original shell picture with a universal lower cutoff k_FB - Delta.

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

No significant circularity; the claimed stiffening and M_TOV enhancement are genuine outputs from scanned parameters, not fitted or definitionally forced.

full rationale

The derivation is self-contained with respect to its central claim. The quarkyonic parameters Lambda_Qyc and kappa are scanned over ranges and the resulting EOS is integrated through the TOV equations; M_TOV is therefore an output, not a fitted target. The quark fractions in Eq. (25) are a stated closure ansatz (constituent-quark content of the baryons with a common dissociation fraction), not a quantity tuned to reproduce the hyperon threshold or M_TOV. The hadronic interaction HSL35 is imported from previous fits to nuclear optical potentials, chiral EFT and LQCD ([41,42]); those fits are external to the present paper's conclusions and do not include the quarkyonic mechanism. The lower hyperon onset density follows algebraically from the shell ansatz (Eqs. 1-5) through Eq. (17), and the EOS stiffening follows from the same ansatz; both are consequences, not inputs. The only self-citations ([41,42,55,60]) provide the interaction and an interpretive comparison to sound-speed analyses; neither makes the central claim reduce to a self-citation. The unverified beta-decoupling of quarks is a physical assumption that may be questioned, but it is not circular in the sense of the analysis rules.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

4 free parameters · 5 axioms · 0 invented entities

The shell geometry (Λ_Qyc, κ), the beta-decoupled quark assumption, the dissociation-based quark fractions, and the imported HSL35 interaction are all assumptions external to the target result. The paper does not fit any observable to produce M_TOV, so the contribution is a model prediction, but that prediction is contingent on these choices.

free parameters (4)
  • Lambda_Qyc (quarkyonic shell scale) = scanned: 250, 300, 350 MeV
    Controls shell thickness in Eq. (5); no independent determination, and the EOS, onset densities, radii, and M_TOV depend strongly on it.
  • kappa (quarkyonic transition coefficient) = scanned: 1.8, 2.7
    Modulates the sound speed via Eq. (5); chosen by hand from the quarkyonic literature; weaker but non-negligible effect.
  • Constituent quark masses m_u,d, m_s = 300, 500 MeV
    Chosen inputs for the free-quark energy density in Eq. (10); not derived within the model, and they affect the quark contribution to the EOS.
  • HSL35 interaction parameters (14 macroscopic fit quantities) = set by prior fits in Refs. [41,42]
    The baryon potential V_HP and hyperon scaling come from HSL35, fitted to nuclear, chiEFT, and lattice data in earlier papers; central to all hadronic EOS results.
axioms (5)
  • domain assumption Large-Nc quarkyonic matter exists as a confined state with a free-quark Fermi sea and a hadronic surface.
    Foundation of the model, Section II A; cannot be directly verified at N_c = 3.
  • ad hoc to paper The shell-thickness formulas Eqs. (4)-(5), originally derived for isospin-symmetric two-flavor matter, apply to full octet + u,d,s matter with universal k_FB and k_FQ.
    Explicitly assumed in Section II B after Eq. (8); this is the main load-bearing geometric extension.
  • ad hoc to paper Quarks do not participate in beta-equilibrium; their flavor fractions are fixed by baryon dissociation according to Eq. (25).
    Stated in Section II C; needed to close the system of 13 unknowns with 10 equations, but no weak-interaction equilibration for quarks is imposed.
  • domain assumption HSL35 provides reliable octet-baryon interactions up to 5-6 n0.
    Used throughout Sections II-III; extrapolated from fits to nuclear data, chiEFT, and LQCD, without direct high-density validation.
  • domain assumption BPS crust plus the analytic interpolation P = a + b epsilon^(4/3) is adequate for the crust EOS.
    Standard treatment in Section III B; has only a small effect on the core EOS claims.

pith-pipeline@v1.3.0-alltime-deepseek · 16468 in / 18716 out tokens · 201964 ms · 2026-08-01T13:03:57.979977+00:00 · methodology

0 comments
read the original abstract

We propose an extension of the quarkyonic matter framework that includes $u$, $d$, and $s$ quarks and the full baryon octet. Within this extended framework, we impose beta-equilibrium between baryons and leptons, while determining the quark fractions from the constituent quark contents of baryons. The hadronic sector of octet baryons is described by a recently developed density, momentum and isospin dependent effective interaction based on the N3LO Skyrme pseudopotential, whereas quarks and leptons are treated as free particles. We find that the quarkyonic mechanism can obviously reduce the critical density for hyperon appearance in neutron stars due to the fact that the nucleons are displaced to higher momentum states in quarkyonic matter and their chemical potentials rise accordingly. Furthermore, the quarkyonic mechanism can significantly stiffen the equation of state of hyperon star matter and thereby enhance the hyperon star maximum mass, thus helping to mitigate the hyperon puzzle.

Figures

Figures reproduced from arXiv: 2607.19220 by Jin-Biao Hu, Jun-Ting Ye, Lie-Wen Chen, Rui Wang, Si-Pei Wang, Zhen Zhang.

Figure 1
Figure 1. Figure 1: FIG. 1. Particle fractions in electrically neutral and beta-equilibrium three-flavor quarkyonic matter using the HSL35 interaction [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p006_1.png] view at source ↗
Figure 2
Figure 2. Figure 2: FIG. 2. Speed of sound as a function of baryon density in the [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p006_2.png] view at source ↗
Figure 3
Figure 3. Figure 3: FIG. 3. Mass-radius relations for static hyperon stars and [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p007_3.png] view at source ↗

discussion (0)

Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.

Reference graph

Works this paper leans on

75 extracted references · 57 linked inside Pith

  1. [1]

    J. M. Lattimer and M. Prakash, The physics of neutron stars, Science304, 536 (2004), arXiv:astro-ph/0405262

  2. [2]

    Weber, Strange quark matter and compact stars, Prog

    F. Weber, Strange quark matter and compact stars, Prog. Part. Nucl. Phys.54, 193 (2005), arXiv:astro- ph/0407155

  3. [3]

    J. M. Lattimer and M. Prakash, The Equation of State of Hot, Dense Matter and Neutron Stars, Phys. Rept.621, 127 (2016), arXiv:1512.07820 [astro-ph.SR]

  4. [4]

    ¨Ozel and P

    F. ¨Ozel and P. Freire, Masses, Radii, and the Equation of State of Neutron Stars, Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 54, 401 (2016), arXiv:1603.02698 [astro-ph.HE]

  5. [5]

    Blaschke and N

    D. Blaschke and N. Chamel, Phases of dense matter in compact stars, Astrophys. Space Sci. Libr.457, 337 (2018), arXiv:1803.01836 [nucl-th]

  6. [6]

    B. P. Abbottet al.(LIGO Scientific, Virgo), GW170817: Measurements of neutron star radii and equation of state, Phys. Rev. Lett.121, 161101 (2018), arXiv:1805.11581 [gr-qc]

  7. [7]

    M. C. Milleret al., PSR J0030+0451 Mass and Radius fromN ICERData and Implications for the Properties of Neutron Star Matter, Astrophys. J. Lett.887, L24 (2019), arXiv:1912.05705 [astro-ph.HE]

  8. [8]

    T. E. Rileyet al., AN ICERView of PSR J0030+0451: Millisecond Pulsar Parameter Estimation, Astrophys. J. Lett.887, L21 (2019), arXiv:1912.05702 [astro-ph.HE]

  9. [9]

    Choudhuryet al., A NICER View of the Nearest and Brightest Millisecond Pulsar: PSR J0437–4715, Astro- phys

    D. Choudhuryet al., A NICER View of the Nearest and Brightest Millisecond Pulsar: PSR J0437–4715, Astro- phys. J. Lett.971, L20 (2024), arXiv:2407.06789 [astro- ph.HE]. 10

  10. [10]

    M. C. Milleret al., The Radius of PSR J0437–4715 from NICER Data, Astrophys. J. Lett.1000, L48 (2026), arXiv:2512.08790 [astro-ph.HE]

  11. [11]

    Mauviardet al., A NICER View of the 1.4 M ⊙ Edge- on Pulsar PSR J0614-3329, Astrophys

    L. Mauviardet al., A NICER View of the 1.4 M ⊙ Edge- on Pulsar PSR J0614-3329, Astrophys. J.995, 60 (2025), arXiv:2506.14883 [astro-ph.HE]

  12. [12]

    M. C. Milleret al., The Radius of PSR J0740+6620 from NICER and XMM-Newton Data, Astrophys. J. Lett. 918, L28 (2021), arXiv:2105.06979 [astro-ph.HE]

  13. [13]

    T. E. Rileyet al., A NICER View of the Massive Pul- sar PSR J0740+6620 Informed by Radio Timing and XMM-Newton Spectroscopy, Astrophys. J. Lett.918, L27 (2021), arXiv:2105.06980 [astro-ph.HE]

  14. [14]

    Doroshenko, V

    V. Doroshenko, V. Suleimanov, G. P¨ uhlhofer, and A. Santangelo, A strangely light neutron star within a supernova remnant, Nature Astron.6, 1444 (2022)

  15. [15]

    M. A. Stephanov, QCD Phase Diagram and the Criti- cal Point, Prog. Theor. Phys. Suppl.153, 139 (2004), arXiv:hep-ph/0402115

  16. [16]

    Fukushima and T

    K. Fukushima and T. Hatsuda, The phase diagram of dense QCD, Rept. Prog. Phys.74, 014001 (2011), arXiv:1005.4814 [hep-ph]

  17. [17]

    Fukushima and C

    K. Fukushima and C. Sasaki, The phase diagram of nu- clear and quark matter at high baryon density, Prog. Part. Nucl. Phys.72, 99 (2013), arXiv:1301.6377 [hep- ph]

  18. [18]

    G. Baym, T. Hatsuda, T. Kojo, P. D. Powell, Y. Song, and T. Takatsuka, From hadrons to quarks in neutron stars: a review, Rept. Prog. Phys.81, 056902 (2018), arXiv:1707.04966 [astro-ph.HE]

  19. [19]

    Luo and N

    X. Luo and N. Xu, Search for the QCD Critical Point with Fluctuations of Conserved Quantities in Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collisions at RHIC : An Overview, Nucl. Sci. Tech.28, 112 (2017), arXiv:1701.02105 [nucl-ex]

  20. [20]

    Sun, L.-W

    K.-J. Sun, L.-W. Chen, C. M. Ko, and Z. Xu, Probing QCD critical fluctuations from light nuclei production in relativistic heavy-ion collisions, Phys. Lett. B774, 103 (2017), arXiv:1702.07620 [nucl-th]

  21. [21]

    Sun, L.-W

    K.-J. Sun, L.-W. Chen, C. M. Ko, J. Pu, and Z. Xu, Light nuclei production as a probe of the QCD phase diagram, Phys. Lett. B781, 499 (2018), arXiv:1801.09382 [nucl- th]

  22. [22]

    Bzdak, S

    A. Bzdak, S. Esumi, V. Koch, J. Liao, M. Stephanov, and N. Xu, Mapping the Phases of Quantum Chromo- dynamics with Beam Energy Scan, Phys. Rept.853, 1 (2020), arXiv:1906.00936 [nucl-th]

  23. [23]

    Fu, QCD at finite temperature and density within the fRG approach: an overview, Commun

    W.-j. Fu, QCD at finite temperature and density within the fRG approach: an overview, Commun. Theor. Phys. 74, 097304 (2022), arXiv:2205.00468 [hep-ph]

  24. [24]

    McLerran and R

    L. McLerran and R. D. Pisarski, Phases of cold, dense quarks at large N(c), Nucl. Phys. A796, 83 (2007), arXiv:0706.2191 [hep-ph]

  25. [25]

    McLerran and S

    L. McLerran and S. Reddy, Quarkyonic Matter and Neutron Stars, Phys. Rev. Lett.122, 122701 (2019), arXiv:1811.12503 [nucl-th]

  26. [26]

    K. S. Jeong, L. McLerran, and S. Sen, Dynamically gener- ated momentum space shell structure of quarkyonic mat- ter via an excluded volume model, Phys. Rev. C101, 035201 (2020), arXiv:1908.04799 [nucl-th]

  27. [27]

    D. C. Duarte, S. Hernandez-Ortiz, and K. S. Jeong, Excluded-volume model for quarkyonic Matter: Three- flavor baryon-quark Mixture, Phys. Rev. C102, 025203 (2020), arXiv:2003.02362 [nucl-th]

  28. [28]

    D. C. Duarte, S. Hernandez-Ortiz, and K. S. Jeong, Excluded-volume model for quarkyonic matter. II. Three- flavor shell-like distribution of baryons in phase space, Phys. Rev. C102, 065202 (2020), arXiv:2007.08098 [nucl-th]

  29. [29]

    Zhao and J

    T. Zhao and J. M. Lattimer, Quarkyonic Matter Equa- tion of State in Beta-Equilibrium, Phys. Rev. D102, 023021 (2020), arXiv:2004.08293 [astro-ph.HE]

  30. [30]

    Sen and L

    S. Sen and L. Sivertsen, Mass and Radius Relations of Quarkyonic Stars Using an Excluded-volume Model, Astrophys. J.915, 109 (2021), arXiv:2011.04681 [astro- ph.HE]

  31. [31]

    Margueron, H

    J. Margueron, H. Hansen, P. Proust, and G. Chanfray, Quarkyonic stars with isospin-flavor asymmetry, Phys. Rev. C104, 055803 (2021), arXiv:2103.10209 [nucl-th]

  32. [32]

    Cao, Quarkyonic matter state of neutron stars, Phys

    G. Cao, Quarkyonic matter state of neutron stars, Phys. Rev. D105, 114020 (2022), arXiv:2201.03875 [nucl-th]

  33. [33]

    R. V. Poberezhnyuk, H. Stoecker, and V. Vovchenko, Quarkyonic matter with quantum van der Waals the- ory, Phys. Rev. C108, 045202 (2023), arXiv:2307.13532 [nucl-th]

  34. [34]

    Xia, H.-M

    C.-J. Xia, H.-M. Jin, and T.-T. Sun, Quarkyonic mat- ter and quarkyonic stars in an extended relativistic mean field model, Phys. Rev. D108, 054013 (2023), arXiv:2307.03032 [hep-ph]

  35. [35]

    Chatterjee and I

    D. Chatterjee and I. Vida˜ na, Do hyperons exist in the interior of neutron stars?, Eur. Phys. J. A52, 29 (2016), arXiv:1510.06306 [nucl-th]

  36. [36]

    Vida˜ na, Hyperons: the strange ingredients of the nu- clear equation of state, Proc

    I. Vida˜ na, Hyperons: the strange ingredients of the nu- clear equation of state, Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. A474, 0145 (2018), arXiv:1803.00504 [nucl-th]

  37. [37]

    Tolos and L

    L. Tolos and L. Fabbietti, Strangeness in Nuclei and Neu- tron Stars, Prog. Part. Nucl. Phys.112, 103770 (2020), arXiv:2002.09223 [nucl-ex]

  38. [38]

    Bombaci, The Hyperon Puzzle in Neutron Stars, Nucl

    I. Bombaci, The Hyperon Puzzle in Neutron Stars, Nucl. Phys. News31, 17 (2021)

  39. [39]

    G. F. Burgio, H. J. Schulze, I. Vidana, and J. B. Wei, Neutron stars and the nuclear equation of state, Prog. Part. Nucl. Phys.120, 103879 (2021), arXiv:2105.03747 [nucl-th]

  40. [40]

    Vida˜ na, Neutron stars and the hyperon puzzle, EPJ Web Conf.271, 09001 (2022)

    I. Vida˜ na, Neutron stars and the hyperon puzzle, EPJ Web Conf.271, 09001 (2022)

  41. [41]

    S.-P. Wang, R. Wang, J.-T. Ye, and L.-W. Chen, Ex- tended Skyrme effective interactions for transport mod- els and neutron stars, Phys. Rev. C109, 054623 (2024), arXiv:2312.17105 [nucl-th]

  42. [42]

    J.-T. Ye, R. Wang, S.-P. Wang, and L.-W. Chen, High- density Symmetry Energy: A Key to the Solution of the Hyperon Puzzle, Astrophys. J.985, 238 (2025), arXiv:2411.18349 [nucl-th]

  43. [43]

    ’t Hooft, A Planar Diagram Theory for Strong Inter- actions, Nucl

    G. ’t Hooft, A Planar Diagram Theory for Strong Inter- actions, Nucl. Phys. B72, 461 (1974)

  44. [44]

    ’t Hooft, A Two-Dimensional Model for Mesons, Nucl

    G. ’t Hooft, A Two-Dimensional Model for Mesons, Nucl. Phys. B75, 461 (1974)

  45. [45]

    Witten, Baryons in the 1/n Expansion, Nucl

    E. Witten, Baryons in the 1/n Expansion, Nucl. Phys. B 160, 57 (1979)

  46. [46]

    McLerran, Quarkyonic Matter and the Phase Diagram of QCD, in8th Workshop on Continuous Advances in QCD (CAQCD-08)(2008) pp

    L. McLerran, Quarkyonic Matter and the Phase Diagram of QCD, in8th Workshop on Continuous Advances in QCD (CAQCD-08)(2008) pp. 125–134, arXiv:0808.1057 [hep-ph]

  47. [47]

    McLerran, A Pedagogical Discussion of Quarkyonic Matter and Its Implication for Neutron Stars, Acta Phys

    L. McLerran, A Pedagogical Discussion of Quarkyonic Matter and Its Implication for Neutron Stars, Acta Phys. Polon. B51, 1067 (2020). 11

  48. [48]

    S. Hama, B. C. Clark, E. D. Cooper, H. S. Sherif, and R. L. Mercer, Global Dirac optical potentials for elastic proton scattering from heavy nuclei, Phys. Rev. C41, 2737 (1990)

  49. [49]

    E. D. Cooper, S. Hama, B. C. Clark, and R. L. Mercer, Global Dirac phenomenology for proton nucleus elastic scattering, Phys. Rev. C47, 297 (1993)

  50. [50]

    Petschauer, J

    S. Petschauer, J. Haidenbauer, N. Kaiser, U.-G. Meißner, and W. Weise, Hyperons in nuclear matter from SU(3) chiral effective field theory, Eur. Phys. J. A52, 15 (2016), arXiv:1507.08808 [nucl-th]

  51. [51]

    Inoue (HAL QCD), Strange Nuclear Physics from QCD on Lattice, AIP Conf

    T. Inoue (HAL QCD), Strange Nuclear Physics from QCD on Lattice, AIP Conf. Proc.2130, 020002 (2019), arXiv:1809.08932 [hep-lat]

  52. [52]

    Legred, K

    I. Legred, K. Chatziioannou, R. Essick, S. Han, and P. Landry, Impact of the PSR J0740+6620 radius con- straint on the properties of high-density matter, Phys. Rev. D104, 063003 (2021), arXiv:2106.05313 [astro- ph.HE]

  53. [53]

    Marczenko, L

    M. Marczenko, L. McLerran, K. Redlich, and C. Sasaki, Reaching percolation and conformal limits in neutron stars, Phys. Rev. C107, 025802 (2023), arXiv:2207.13059 [nucl-th]

  54. [54]

    Han, Y.-J

    M.-Z. Han, Y.-J. Huang, S.-P. Tang, and Y.-Z. Fan, Plausible presence of new state in neutron stars with masses above 0.98MTOV, Sci. Bull.68, 913 (2023), arXiv:2207.13613 [astro-ph.HE]

  55. [55]

    Cao and L.-W

    Z. Cao and L.-W. Chen, Neutron Star vs Quark Star in the Multimessenger Era, (2023), arXiv:2308.16783 [astro-ph.HE]

  56. [56]

    Marczenko, K

    M. Marczenko, K. Redlich, and C. Sasaki, Curvature of the energy per particle in neutron stars, Phys. Rev. D 109, L041302 (2024), arXiv:2311.13401 [nucl-th]

  57. [57]

    Annala, T

    E. Annala, T. Gorda, J. Hirvonen, O. Komoltsev, A. Kurkela, J. N¨ attil¨ a, and A. Vuorinen, Strongly in- teracting matter exhibits deconfined behavior in mas- sive neutron stars, Nature Commun.14, 8451 (2023), arXiv:2303.11356 [astro-ph.HE]

  58. [58]

    P. T. H. Pang, L. Sivertsen, R. Somasundaram, T. Di- etrich, S. Sen, I. Tews, M. W. Coughlin, and C. Van Den Broeck, Probing quarkyonic matter in neutron stars with the Bayesian nuclear-physics multimessenger astro- physics framework, Phys. Rev. C109, 025807 (2024), arXiv:2308.15067 [nucl-th]

  59. [59]

    Tang, Y.-J

    S.-P. Tang, Y.-J. Huang, M.-Z. Han, and Y.-Z. Fan, Up- per Limit of Sound Speed in Nuclear Matter: A Harmo- nious Interplay of Transport Calculation and Perturba- tive Quantum Chromodynamic Constraint, Astrophys. J. 974, 244 (2024), arXiv:2404.09563 [astro-ph.HE]

  60. [60]

    Cao and L.-W

    Z. Cao and L.-W. Chen, On the Possibility of a Strong First-Order Phase Transition in Neutron Stars, (2026), arXiv:2606.06378 [nucl-th]

  61. [61]

    R. C. Tolman, Static solutions of Einstein’s field equa- tions for spheres of fluid, Phys. Rev.55, 364 (1939)

  62. [62]

    J. R. Oppenheimer and G. M. Volkoff, On massive neu- tron cores, Phys. Rev.55, 374 (1939)

  63. [63]

    Carriere, C

    J. Carriere, C. J. Horowitz, and J. Piekarewicz, Low mass neutron stars and the equation of state of dense matter, Astrophys. J.593, 463 (2003), arXiv:nucl-th/0211015

  64. [64]

    Xu, L.-W

    J. Xu, L.-W. Chen, B.-A. Li, and H.-R. Ma, Locating the inner edge of neutron star crust using terrestrial nu- clear laboratory data, Phys. Rev. C79, 035802 (2009), arXiv:0807.4477 [nucl-th]

  65. [65]

    Xu, L.-W

    J. Xu, L.-W. Chen, B.-A. Li, and H.-R. Ma, Nuclear con- straints on properties of neutron star crusts, Astrophys. J.697, 1549 (2009), arXiv:0901.2309 [astro-ph.SR]

  66. [66]

    G. Baym, C. Pethick, and P. Sutherland, The Ground state of matter at high densities: Equation of state and stellar models, Astrophys. J.170, 299 (1971)

  67. [67]

    Postnikov, M

    S. Postnikov, M. Prakash, and J. M. Lattimer, Tidal Love Numbers of Neutron and Self-Bound Quark Stars, Phys. Rev. D82, 024016 (2010), arXiv:1004.5098 [astro-ph.SR]

  68. [68]

    E. E. Flanagan and T. Hinderer, Constraining neutron star tidal Love numbers with gravitational wave detec- tors, Phys. Rev. D77, 021502 (2008), arXiv:0709.1915 [astro-ph]

  69. [69]

    Vinciguerraet al., An updated mass-radius analysis of the 2017-2018 NICER data set of PSR J0030+0451 (2023), reproduction package

    S. Vinciguerraet al., An updated mass-radius analysis of the 2017-2018 NICER data set of PSR J0030+0451 (2023), reproduction package

  70. [70]

    Vinciguerraet al., An Updated Mass–Radius Analysis of the 2017–2018 NICER Data Set of PSR J0030+0451, Astrophys

    S. Vinciguerraet al., An Updated Mass–Radius Analysis of the 2017–2018 NICER Data Set of PSR J0030+0451, Astrophys. J.961, 62 (2024), arXiv:2308.09469 [astro- ph.HE]

  71. [71]

    The Radius of the High-mass Pulsar PSR J0740+6620 with 3.6 yr of NICER Data

    T. Salmiet al., Data and Software for: “The Radius of the High-mass Pulsar PSR J0740+6620 with 3.6 yr of NICER Data” (2024), reproduction package

  72. [72]

    Salmiet al., The Radius of the High-mass Pulsar PSR J0740+6620 with 3.6 yr of NICER Data, Astrophys

    T. Salmiet al., The Radius of the High-mass Pulsar PSR J0740+6620 with 3.6 yr of NICER Data, Astrophys. J. 974, 294 (2024), arXiv:2406.14466 [astro-ph.HE]

  73. [73]

    Fujimoto, T

    Y. Fujimoto, T. Kojo, and L. D. McLerran, Momentum Shell in Quarkyonic Matter from Explicit Duality: A Dual Model for Cold, Dense QCD, Phys. Rev. Lett.132, 112701 (2024), arXiv:2306.04304 [nucl-th]

  74. [74]

    Fujimoto, T

    Y. Fujimoto, T. Kojo, and L. McLerran, Quarkyonic so- lution to the hyperon puzzle, EPJ Web Conf.316, 07007 (2025)

  75. [75]

    Fujimoto, T

    Y. Fujimoto, T. Kojo, and L. McLerran, Evolution of strangeness and hyperons in quarkyonic matter, Phys. Rev. C113, 035206 (2026), arXiv:2410.22758 [nucl-th]