NS to Quark Star
| Category | Progenitor | Type | Energy Mechanism | Emission Mechanism | Counterparts | References | Brief Comments | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LF Radio | HF Radio | Microwave | Terahertz | Optical/IR | X-rays | Gamma-rays | Gravitational Waves | Neutrinos | |||||||
| Collapse | NS to Quark Star | Single | β-decay | Synch. | Yes | -- | -- | -- | -- | Yes | Yes | Yes | -- | https://arxiv.org/pdf/1505.08147.pdf | The burst is predicted to be several seconds, explainable if the de-dispersion process that stacks frequency channels to a common initial time is incorrect. |
Definitions: LF Radio (3 MHz to 3 GHz); HF Radio (3 GHz to 30 GHz); Microwave (30 to 300 GHz)
Model Description
As a NS spins down, the reduction in centrifugal forces cause the density in the core to increase to the point where neutrons may split in to their constituent parts--a process known as quark deconfinement. This phase transition from neutrons to a quark-gluon plasma triggers a massive explosion--a quark nova--in which the parent NS collapses into a quark star. The outer layers of the NS are ejected at relativistic speeds, generating highly unstable rapid neutron-capture (r-process) elements, which undergo a rapid series of β-decays. The electrons emitted from this decay stream into the magnetosphere to generate synchrotron emission akin to an FRB.
Observational Constraints
Gravitational waves are expected from the explosion and from the quark star oscillation modes.