Gravitational Waves Reveal Strange Quark Matter in Neutron Stars

A research team led by Prof. Fan Yizhong from the Purple Mountain Observatory has found that a strange quark matter core likely exists in massive neutron stars based on observations and quantum chromodynamics theory. This provides a unique opportunity to explore the equation of state of dense matter. The researchers found support for the existence of an exotic core in neutron stars heavier than 0.98 times the most massive one, based on a posterior that satisfies both observational and theoretical constraints.