Paper: astro-ph/0605106
Date: Wed, 3 May 2006 20:01:28 GMT (39kb)

Title: EXO 0748-676 Rules out Soft Equations of State for Neutron Star Matter

Authors: F. Ozel (University of Arizona)

Comments: To appear in Nature, press embargo until publication
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The interiors of neutron stars contain matter at very high densities, in a
state that differs greatly from those found in the early universe or achieved
at terrestrial experiments. Matter in these conditions can only be probed
through astrophysical observations that measure the mass and radius of neutron
stars with sufficient precision. Here I report for the first time a unique
determination of the mass and radius of the neutron star EXO 0748-676, which
appears to rule out all the soft equations of state of neutron star matter. If
this object is typical, then condensates and unconfined quarks do not exist in
the centers of neutron stars.

\\ ( http://arXiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0605106 , 39kb)