Finding Structure in the Speed of Sound of Supranuclear Matter from Binary Love Relations

Phys Rev Lett. 2022 Apr 22;128(16):161101. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.128.161101.

Abstract

Analyses that connect observations of neutron stars with nuclear-matter properties can rely on equation-of-state insensitive relations. We show that the slope of the binary Love relations (between the tidal deformabilities of binary neutron stars) encodes the baryon density at which the speed of sound rapidly changes. Twin stars lead to relations that present a signature "hill," "drop," and "swoosh" due to the second (mass-radius) stable branch, requiring a new description of the binary Love relations. Together, these features can reveal new properties and phases of nuclear matter.