Continuity from neutron matter to two-flavor quark matter with S0 1 and P2 3 superfluidity

Abstract

This study is performed with the aim of gaining insights into the possible applicability of the quark-hadron continuity concept, not only in the idealized case of three-flavor symmetric quark matter, but also for the transition from neutron matter to two-flavor quark matter. A key issue is the continuity between neutron superfluidity and a corresponding superfluid quark phase produced by d-quark pairing. Symmetry arguments are developed and relevant dynamical mechanisms are analyzed. It is pointed out that the P23 superfluidity in dense neutron matter has a direct analog in the P23 pairing of d-quarks in two-flavor quark matter. This observation supports the idea that the quark-hadron continuity hypothesis may be valid for such systems. Possible implications for neutron stars are briefly discussed.