Strange-quark matter within the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model

The equation of state of baryon-rich quark matter is studied within the SU( 3) Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model with flavor-mixing interaction. Possible bound states (strangelets) arid chiral phase transitions in this matter are inves tigated at various values of the strangeness fraction r(delta) model predic tions are very sensitive to the ratio of the vector and scalar coupling con stants, xi = G(V)/G(S), At xi = 0.5 and zero temperature, the binding energ y takes a maximum value of about 15 MeV per baryon at r(delta) similar or e qual to 0.4. Such strangelets are negatively charged arid have typical life times of about 10(-7) s. Calculations are performed at finite temperatures as well. According to these calculations, bound states exist up to temperat ures of about 15 MeV. The model predicts a first-order chiral phase transit ion at finite baryon densities. The parameters of this phase transition are calculated as functions of r(delta). (C) 2001 MAIK "Nauka/Interperiodica".