Speaker
Description
Quantum chromodynamics (QCD) at finite baryon chemical potential remains hard to access by first-principles methods, making effective models an essential tool for exploring this region of the phase diagram. The quark–meson (QM) model provides a viable alternative to more established approaches such as the Nambu–Jona-Lasinio model, with the advantage that it can be matched to physical observables and yields reasonable agreement with lattice QCD where comparisons are possible. The quark–meson–diquark (QMD) model extends the QM framework by incorporating diquark degrees of freedom while remaining renormalizable.
In this talk, I examine the impact of diquark and vector meson degree of freedoms on the equation of state of dense matter and demonstrate how their inclusion can lead to neutron star equations of state consistent with current astrophysical observations. I also discuss the general features of the resulting equation of state, including the behavior of the speed of sound, and highlight the physical intuition that can be gained from studying this effective model for dense QCD matter.