Quark stars

Quark stars are a theoretical type of compact star that are composed predominantly of quark matter, which is a phase of matter consisting of quarks, the fundamental building blocks of protons and neutrons. The concept of quark stars arises from the study of the behavior of matter under extreme conditions, such as those found in the cores of neutron stars.

3C 58 is a supernova remnant located in the constellation Cassiopeia, approximately 6,000 light-years away from Earth. It is associated with the historical supernova that was observed in 1181 AD. 3C 58 is notable for its association with a neutron star, which is the remnant core of the massive star that exploded as a supernova.

A quark-nova is a theoretical astrophysical event that occurs in a type of neutron star, specifically a strange star. The concept is based on the idea that under certain conditions, the dense matter in a neutron star can undergo a phase transition, converting neutrons into quark matter. This process may happen if the neutron star gains enough mass or if it undergoes certain instability.

A "strange star" is a hypothetical type of neutron star that is thought to contain a significant amount of strange quark matter, which includes strange quarks in addition to the usual up and down quarks found in protons and neutrons. In standard models of particle physics, baryons (like protons and neutrons) are composed of these three types of quarks.