Symmetry Principles in Dense Matter and Compact Stars
A special issue of Symmetry (ISSN 2073-8994). This special issue belongs to the section "Physics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 230
Special Issue Editors
2. Department of Theoretical Physics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: theoretical nuclear physics (theoretical nuclear models, relativistic nuclear matter, exotic matter, dark matter); nuclear astrophysics (equation of state, structure and evolution of neutron stars, stability of compact objects); gravitational physics (gravitational waves, binary neutron star mergers); computational nuclear physics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: theoretical nuclear physics; nuclear astrophysics
Interests: theoretical nuclear physics; nuclear astrophysics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Symmetry principles constitute a cornerstone of theoretical nuclear and particle physics, shaping our understanding of the structure of matter and the dynamics of fundamental interactions. Both internal and spacetime symmetries, along with their explicit or spontaneous breaking, guide the construction of microscopic theories and effective descriptions of strongly interacting systems, determining their collective behavior and phase structure.
Astrophysical compact stars provide a unique laboratory in which these principles can be explored under extreme conditions. Matter in such environments exists at ultra-high densities, strong isospin asymmetry and across a wide range of temperatures. The realization and breaking of symmetries—such as chiral, flavor and color symmetries—play a decisive role in the equation of state, the emergence of novel degrees of freedom and the possible occurrence of phase transitions in dense matter. In addition, observations from gravitational-wave astronomy and multi-messenger signals provide significant constraints on these theoretical models, highlighting the direct connection between symmetry-based approaches and the observable properties of compact stars.
This Special Issue aims to present a focused collection of high-quality contributions exploring the role of symmetry and symmetry breaking in theoretical nuclear and particle physics, with particular emphasis on dense matter and compact stars. By highlighting symmetry principles as organizing concepts across microscopic and macroscopic scales, it bridges fundamental theory, effective modeling and astrophysical phenomenology.
In this Special Issue, original research articles and review papers are welcome. Research topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Symmetry principles in nuclear and particle physics
- Chiral symmetry and its realization in dense matter
- Equation of state of dense nuclear and quark matter
- Phase transitions and critical phenomena in QCD matter
- Exotic phases of matter in compact stars
- Symmetry breaking effects in astrophysical systems
- Effective field theories and symmetry-based models of dense matter
- Constraints from gravitational waves and multi-messenger observations
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Polychronis Koliogiannis
Dr. Alkiviadis Kanakis-Pegios
Prof. Dr. Charalampos Moustakidis
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Symmetry is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- symmetry principles
- dense matter
- nuclear and particle physics
- compact stars
- quantum chromodynamics
- chiral symmetry
- equation of state
- phase transitions
- strongly interacting matter
- gravitational waves
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