The Strange Interior of Neutron Stars
Prof. J. Schaffner-Bielich (Universität Heidelberg)

Neutron stars serve as an astrophysical laboratory for matter under extreme conditions. In the interior of neutron stars, exotic phases can be present by the appearance of new particles, either in the form of hyperons or as a Bose condensate of kaons. For high densities, even hadrons might melt to form quark matter which is characterized by the chiral phase transition of QCD.
The various strange phases in the interior of neutron stars are discussed.
Possible signatures for their presence by observing pulsars or x-ray bursters are outlined.