Single-flavor and two-flavor pairing in three-flavor quark matter

Dec, 2005
12 pages
Published in:
  • J.Phys.G 32 (2006) 511-528
e-Print:

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Abstract:
We study single-flavour quark pairing (self-pairing) in colour-superconducting phases of quark matter, paying particular attention to the difference between scenarios where all three flavours undergo single-flavour pairing, and scenarios where two flavours pair with each other (2SC pairing) and the remaining flavour self-pairs. We perform our calculations in the mean field approximation using a pointlike four-fermion interaction based on single gluon exchange. We confirm the result from previous weakly-coupled-QCD calculations, that when all three flavours self-pair the favored channel for each is colour-spin-locked (CSL) pseudoisotropic pairing. However, we find that when the up and down quarks undergo 2SC pairing, they induce a colour chemical potential that disfavors the CSL phase. The strange quarks then self-pair in a polar channel that breaks rotational invariance, although the CSL phase may survive in a narrow range of densities.
Note:
  • 12 pages, RevTeX
  • 25.75.Nq
  • 12.38.-t
  • quark matter
  • colour superconductivity
  • 2SC
  • CSL
  • neutrality
  • free energy
  • quark: matter
  • flavor: 3