Neutrons can be cubic in neutron stars

2011/10/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Fisika
• Astrofisika

What do neutrons look like? Nobody has seen them, but according to experts, neutrons have a sphere shape, like other particles. However, they may not be so in all conditions. According to two physicists from the Complutense University of Madrid, neutrons become a cube in neutron stars.

This is due to the inner pressure of the star. Neutron stars have a large mass, so they create a very powerful gravity field, capable of compressing protons and electrons together to form neutrons. Consequently, despite having 2.5 times more mass than the Sun, the diameter of neutron stars is approximately 11 kilometers. For Madrid physicists, that a star is made up of neutrons is not enough to have that small volume. In addition, to achieve this level of compression, neutrons must be well compacted, that is, in the form of a cube. The calculations confirm this hypothesis, since the density of a star of cubic neutrons is about 10 15 gr/cm 3, similar to the measurement in several neutron stars. Now, astrophysicists have begun to look for some way to experimentally check the existence of cubic neutrons, as in pulsars.