Insights on the peak in the speed of sound of ultradense matter
Maurício Hippert, Eduardo S. Fraga, Jorge Noronha
Abstract
In this work we investigate the minimal physical requirements needed for generating a speed of sound that surpasses its asymptotic conformal limit. It is shown that a peak in the speed of sound of homogeneous matter naturally emerges in the transition from a phase with broken chiral symmetry to one with a gapped Fermi surface. We argue that this could be relevant for understanding the peak in the speed of sound displayed by some of the current models for cold ultradense matter. A minimal model implementation of this mechanism is presented, based on the spontaneous breakdown of an approximate particle-antiparticle symmetry, and its thermodynamic properties are determined.
Topics & Concepts
Speed of soundPhysicsSymmetry (geometry)Work (physics)Sound (geography)Current (fluid)Limit (mathematics)Conformal mapFermi Gamma-ray Space TelescopePhase transitionTheoretical physicsCondensed matter physicsQuantum mechanicsAcousticsMathematicsMathematical analysisGeometryThermodynamicsPulsars and Gravitational Waves ResearchQuantum, superfluid, helium dynamicsCold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates