Strange star surface: a crust with nuggets

Phys Rev Lett. 2006 Feb 3;96(4):041101. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.96.041101. Epub 2006 Jan 30.

Abstract

We reexamine the surface composition of strange stars. Strange quark stars are hypothetical compact stars which could exist if strange quark matter was absolutely stable. It is widely accepted that they are characterized by an enormous density gradient (10(26) g/cm4) and large electric fields at the surface. By investigating the possibility of realizing a heterogeneous crust, comprised of nuggets of strange quark matter embedded in an uniform electron background, we find that the strange star surface has a much reduced density gradient and negligible electric field. We comment on how our findings will impact various proposed observable signatures for strange stars.