Emergent conformality in high-density matter

¹ Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Wrocław, plac Maksa Borna 9, 50204 Wrocław, Poland
² International Institute for Sustainability with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter (WPI-SKCM2), Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
³ Incubator of Scientific Excellence - Centre for Simulations of Superdense Fluids, University of Wrocław, plac Maksa Borna 9, 50204 Wrocław, Poland
⁴ Institute for Nuclear Theory, University of Washington, Box 351550, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
⁵ Polish Academy of Sciences PAN, Podwale 75, 50449 Wrocław, Poland

^* e-mail: chihiro.sasaki@uwr.edu.pl

Published online: 26 June 2024

Abstract

This contribution discusses baryon-rich matter in the context of recent astrophysical observations of neutron stars (NSs) and the structure of the equation of state that arises from these observations. We show that, generating an ensemble of equations of state that fulfill multimessenger constraints, the speed of sound and trace anomaly can reach their conformal values at the center of maximally massive NSs. The local peak of the speed of sound appears at values of the energy and particle densities being consistent with deconfinement and percolation conditions of QCD phase transition. Some implications of advocating a pseudo-conformal symmetry in dense matter are presented.