Related papers: Producing the Deuteron in Stars: Anthropic Limits …
Deuterium represents the only bound isotope in the universe with atomic mass number $A=2$. Motivated by the possibility of other universes, where the strong force could be stronger, this paper considers the effects of bound diprotons and…
We calculate the properties and investigate the stability of stars that burn via strong (and electromagnetic) interactions, and compare their properties with those that, as in our Universe, include a rate-limiting weak interaction. It has…
In both stars and in the early universe, the production of deuterium is the first step on the way to producing heavier nuclei. If the strong force were slightly weaker, deuterium would not be stable, and many authors have noted that…
We investigate a class of universes in which the weak interaction is not in operation. We consider how astrophysical processes are altered in the absence of weak forces, including Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN), galaxy formation, molecular…
The core of a neutron star contains several species of particles, whose relative equilibrium concentrations are determined by the local density. As the star spins down, its centrifugal force decreases continuously, and the star contracts.…
The deconfinement phase transition which happens in the interior of neutron stars are investigated. Coupled with the spin evolution of the stars, the effect of entropy production and deconfinement heat generation during the deconfinement…
Motivated by the possibility that the laws of physics could be different in other regions of space-time, we consider nuclear processes in universes where the weak interaction is either stronger or weaker than observed. We focus on the…
The hypothesis that neutrons might decay into dark matter is explored using neutron stars as a testing ground. It is found that in order to obtain stars with masses at the upper end of those observed, the dark matter must experience a…
In some extensions of the Standard Model (SM), two neutrons are allowed to decay into two sterile anti-neutrinos ($nn \rightarrow \bar{\chi}\bar{\chi}$) via new scalar bosons. This process violates both the baryon number ($\mathcal{B}$) and…
Motivated by the possible existence of other universes, with possible variations in the laws of physics, this paper explores the parameter space of fundamental constants that allows for the existence of stars. To make this problem…
Ever since the discovery of neutron stars it has been realized that they serve as probes of a physical regime that cannot be accessed in laboratories: strongly degenerate matter at several times nuclear saturation density. Existing nuclear…
A neutron star harbors of order $10^{56}$ electrons in its core, and almost the same number of muons, with muon decay prohibited by Pauli blocking. However, as macroscopic properties of the star such as its mass, rotational velocity, or…
We treat the old problem of the proton-neutron bound state (the deuteron). Using a new concept of incomplete (partial) annihilation process we derive a formula for the binding energy of the deuteron, which does not contain any new constant.…
The interiors of neutron stars enjoy ideal conditions for the conversion of hadrons to a strange quark phase, theorized to be the stablest form of matter. Though numerous astrophysical means to prompt such a deconfinement phase transition…
A star burns its nuclear fuel and balances gravitation by the pressure of the heated gas, during its active lifetime. After the exhaustion of the nuclear fuel, a low mass star finds peace as a {\em white dwarf}, where the pressure support…
Contrary to a common argument that a small increase in the strength of the strong force would lead to destruction of all hydrogen in the big bang due to binding of the diproton and the dineutron with a catastrophic impact on life as we know…
As a neutron star spins down, its core density increase, changing the relative equilibrium concentration, and causing deconfinement phase transition as well. hadron matter are converted into quark matter in the interior, which enhances the…
Neutrino processes in dense matter play a key role in the dynamics, deleptonization and early cooling of hot protoneutron stars formed in the gravitational collapse of massive stars. Here we calculate neutrino mean free paths from…
The main stages in the evolution of a neutron star, from its birth as a proto-neutron star, to its old age as a cold, catalyzed configuration, are described. A proto-neutron star is formed in the aftermath of a successful supernova…
We calculate the reaction cross-sections for the fusion of hydrogen and deuterium in strong magnetic fields as are believed to exist in the atmospheres of neutron stars. We find that in the presence of a strong magnetic field ($B \gsim…