Hadron-Quark transition in the relativistic effective models framework: the QCD phase diagram and astrophysical implications

Abstract

Due to the impossibility of treating quantum chromodynamics (QCD) perturbatively in high-density regimes, the complete study of the QCD phase diagram requires alternative approaches, and the use of models has served as a valuable tool for the conceptual and description of many phenomena related to nuclear interaction. The present research project is based on the approach of effective models to investigate the QCD phase diagram and, in particular, the high density and low temperature region, which is of immense interest for astrophysical aspects of compact stars. Part of the objectives of this study are the application and refinement of effective models for hadronic matter (Walecka-type models or extensions of the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model) to include exotic particles, e.g., hyperons, spin 3/2 resonances or deconfined quarks, and also the effects of extreme magnetic fields and or finite temperature. The equations of state obtained can then be used for the description of compact stars, through relativistic equilibrium equations, seeking better theoretical inferences for recently obtained observational results, for example, from measurements of gravitational waves and sent by the International Space Station NICER.