Physicist: Stars can be strange

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Strange Brew: Astronomers are debating whether the matter in these stars is composed of free quarks or crystals of sub-nuclear particles rather than neutrons. If so the stars would be strange quark stars strange indeed. Credit: NASA
Strange Brew: Astronomers are debating whether the matter in these stars is composed of free quarks or crystals of sub-nuclear particles, rather than neutrons. If so, the stars would be strange quark stars, strange indeed. Credit: NASA

According to the "Strange Matter Hypothesis," which gained popularity in the paranormal 1980's, nuclear matter, too, can be strange. The hypothesis suggests that small conglomerations of quarks, the infinitesimally tiny particles that attract by a strong nuclear force to form neutrons and protons in atoms, are the true ground state of matter. The theory has captivated particle physicists worldwide, including one of Washington University's own.


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