Would neutron star matter be stable if you took it out of a neutron star?

No. Because under the new decompressed environment, the number of quantum levels available to the clump of neutrons would suddenly increase, and the neutron 'nugget' would explosively decay into a plasma of protons, electrons and neutrinos. Gravity keeps the density high, and the volume of available quantum states small so that the system is 'degenerate'.


Copyright 1997 Dr. Sten Odenwald
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