MSc Thesis Highlights
May 15, 2024
Medium Modification of Pentaquark Θ⁺
Institution: Dr. B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar
Supervisor: Dr. Suneel Dutt
Duration: July 2023 – May 2024
📝 Abstract
The exotic pentaquark baryon Θ⁺ (quark content: uudds̄) was investigated theoretically using the chiral SU(3) quark mean field model to study its in-medium behavior in dense nuclear and strange matter.
Key observations include:
- A significant decrease in the effective mass of Θ⁺ with increasing baryon density
- Stronger medium modification in strange matter compared to nuclear matter
- Nontrivial dependence on isospin asymmetry and temperature
- Possible existence of Θ⁺ in the hyperonic cores of neutron stars
These results provide insights into chiral symmetry restoration in dense QCD matter and support the possibility of exotic phases inside compact astrophysical objects.
📌 Key Findings
- Mass reduction: The effective mass of Θ⁺ drops sharply with increasing baryon density, more significantly in strange matter than in nuclear matter.
- Thermal and isospin effects: Isospin asymmetry accelerates the mass drop. Temperature tends to slightly increase Θ⁺ mass at fixed density.
- Astrophysical relevance: The findings suggest Θ⁺ may exist in the cores of neutron stars, supporting possible chiral symmetry restoration and exotic hadronic phases.
🔬 Keywords
Pentaquarks, medium modification, dense matter, neutron stars, chiral SU(3) model, Θ⁺