Composite octet baryons in a relativistic mean field description of nuclear and neutron star matter

Abstract

We examine the properties of composite octet baryons in the nuclear medium and neutron star matter. The internal quark-diquark structure of the octet baryons and the equations of state of nuclear matter and neutron star matter in the mean field approximation are described by using the three-flavor Nambu--Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model as an effective quark theory of QCD. After introducing our model, we first discuss the properties of single baryons and their effective meson exchange interactions in symmetric nuclear matter by using concepts of Fermi liquid theory. Several model independent implications of this description are derived, and illustrated by numerical results obtained in our model. Second, we extend the model description to high baryon densities, and investigate the equation of state of neutron star matter and the resulting star masses. We find that the so called hyperon puzzle persists also for the case of composite hadrons. To get more information on this point, we also investigate the role of 6-fermi and 8-fermi interactions, in addition to the standard 4-fermi interactions. The strengths of those higher order fermi interactions is determined so as not to spoil the saturation properties of nuclear matter. Among them, an interaction characterized by a product of four quark current operators plays a special role to stabilize the stars over a large region of central baryon densities, although it has little effect on the maximum star masses.