Bayesian inference of signatures of hyperons inside neutron stars

Abstract: The possible signatures of the presence of hyperons inside neutron stars are discussed within a Bayesian inference framework applied to a set of models based on a density-dependent relativistic mean-field description of hadronic matter. Nuclear matter properties, hypernuclei properties, and observational information are used to constrain the models. General properties of neutron stars such as the maximum mass, radius, tidal deformability, proton fraction, hyperon fraction, and speed of sound are discussed. It is shown that the two solar mass constraint imposes that neutron stars described by equations of state that include hyperons have on average a larger radius, $\gtrsim 0.5$km, and a larger tidal deformability, $\gtrsim 150$, than the stars determined from a nucleonic equation of state, while the speed of sound at the center of the star is more than 25\% smaller. If a 1.4 M$\odot$ star with a radius $\lesssim 12.5$ km is measured it is quite improbable that a massive star described by the same model contains hyperons. A similar conclusion is drawn if a two solar mass star with a radius $\lesssim 11.5$ km or a neutron star with a mass above 2.2 M$\odot$ is observed: the possible hyperon content of these stars is ruled out or very reduced. The hyperon presence inside neutron stars is compatible with the present NICER mass-radius observations of the pulsars PSR J0030+0451 and PSR J0740+6620 and the gravitational wave detection GW170817. {It is shown that if the polytropic index $\gamma=\partial\ln p/\partial\ln\epsilon$ takes values of the order of 1.75 at not too large densities, it may indicate the onset of some kind of exotic matter, but not necessarily of deconfined quark matter.