Strangeness in Compact Stars

Understand

We discuss the impact of strange hadrons, in particular hyperons, on the gross features of compact stars and on core-collapse supernovae.

• Hyperons are likely to be the first exotic species which appears around twice normal nuclear matter density in the core of neutron stars.
• Their presence largely influences the mass-radius relation of compact stars, the maximum mass, the cooling of neutron stars, the stability with regard to the emission of gravitational waves from rotation-powered neutron stars and the possible early onset of the QCD phase transition in core-collapse supernovae.
• We outline also the constraints from subthreshold kaon production in heavy-ion collisions for the maximum possible mass of neutron stars.