The missing compact star of SN1987A: a solid quark star?
To investigate the missing compact star of Supernova 1987A (SN1987A), we analysed the cooling and heating processes of a possible compact star based on the upper limit of observational X-ray luminosity. From the cooling process, we found that a solid quark-cluster star (SQS), having a stiffer equation of state than that of a conventional liquid quark star, has a heat capacity much smaller than a neutron star. The SQS can cool down quickly, naturally explaining the non-detection of a point source in X-ray wavelengths. On the other hand, we considered the heating processes due to magnetospheric activity and possible accretion, and obtained some constraints on the parameters of a possible pulsar. Therefore, we concluded that an SQS can explain the observational limit in a confident parameter space. With a short period and a strong magnetic field (or with a long period and weak field), a pulsar would have a luminosity higher than the observational limit if the optical depth is not large enough to hide the compact star. As possible central compact objects, the parameters constrained for a pulsar can be tested for SN1987A with advanced facilities in the future.

title: H-cluster stars
abstract: The study of dense matter at ultra-high density has a very long history, which is meaningful for us to understand not only cosmic events in extreme circumstances but also fundamental laws of physics. It is well known that the state of cold matter at supra-nuclear density depends on the non-perturbative nature of quantum chromo-dynamics (QCD) and is essential for modeling pulsars. A so-called H-cluster matter is proposed in this paper as the nature of dense matter in reality. 
In compact stars at only a few nuclear densities but low temperature, quarks could be interacting strongly with each other there. That might render quarks grouped in clusters, although the hypothetical quark-clusters in cold dense matter has not been confirmed due to the lack of both theoretical and experimental evidence. Motivated by recent lattice QCD simulations of the H-dibaryons (with structure uuddss), we are therefore considering here a possible kind of quark-clusters, H-clusters, that could emerge inside compact stars during their initial cooling, as the dominant components inside (the degree of freedom could then be H-clusters there).Taking into account the in-medium stiffening effect, we find that at baryon densities of compact stars $H$-cluster matter could be more stable than nuclear matter. We also find that for the H-cluster matter with lattice structure, the equation of state could be so stiff that it would seem to be "superluminal" in most dense region. However, the real sound speed for H-cluster matter is in fact hard to calculate, so at this stage we do not put constraints on our model from the usual requirment of causality.

title: The state of cold quark matter: a model-independent view
abstract: From a model-independent point of view, we address the possibility that quark clustering could occur in cold quark matter at realistic baryon densities because of the likely strong coupling between quarks in compact stars.

title: The Extremely Long-period X-Ray Source in a Young Supernova Remnant: A Thorne-Żytkow Object Descendant?
abstract: The origin of the 6.67 hr period X-ray source, 1E161348-5055, in the young supernova remnant RCW 103 is puzzling. We propose that it may be the descendant of a Thorne-Żytkow Object (TŻO). A TŻO may at its formation have a rapidly spinning neutron star as a core and a slowly rotating envelope. We found that the core could be braked quickly to an extremely long spin period by the coupling between its magnetic field and the envelope, and that the envelope could be disrupted by some powerful bursts or exhausted via stellar wind. If the envelope is disrupted after the core has spun down, the core will become an extremely long-period compact object, with a slow proper motion speed, surrounded by a supernova-remnant-like shell. These features all agree with the observations of 1E161348-5055. TŻOs are expected to have produced extraordinarily high abundances of lithium and rapid proton process elements that would remain in the remnants and could be used to test this scenario.

title: Are AXPs/SGRs magnetars?
abstract: Anomalous X-ray Pulsars and Soft Gamma-Ray Repeaters have been generally recognized as neutron stars with super strong magnetic fields, namely "magnetars". The "magnetars" manifest that the luminosity in X-ray band are larger than the rotational energy loss rate, i.e. $L_{X}>\dot {E}_{\rm rot}$, and then the radiation energy is coming from the energy of magnetic field. Here it is argued that magnetars may not really exist. Some X-ray and radio observational results are contradicted with the magnetar model. 
(1) The X-ray luminosity of PSR J1852+0040 is much larger than the rotational energy loss rate ($L_{X}/\dot {E}_{\rm rot}\simeq 18)$, but the magnetic field is just $3.1\times 10^{11}$ G. Does this X-ray radiation energy come from the magnetic field? 
(2) In contrast to the above, the magnetic fields of radio pulsars J1847-0130 and PSR J1718-3718 are higher than that of AXP 1E 2259+586, why is the radiation energy of those two radio pulsars still coming from rotational energy? Furthermore, the magnetic field of the newly discovered SGR 0418+5729 with the lowest magnetic field is 3.0 e13 G, lower than the critical magnetic field $B_{\rm C}=4.414$ e13 G) (Esposito et al. 2010). 
(3) Some "magnetars" also emit normal transient radio pulses, what is the essential difference between radio pulsars and the "magnetars"? 
The observational fact arguments will be presented at first, then we discuss in what situation the conventional method to obtain magnetic field could not be correct.

title: PSR B1257+12: a quark star with planets?
abstract: A recent observation has shown that PSR B1257+12 could have quite small X‐ray emitting area, only about 2000 m2, which is more than three orders smaller than the canonical polar cap size. We suggest here that PSR B1257+12 could be a low‐mass quark star with radius of R≃0.6 km and mass of M≃3×10−4 M⊙. Such a low‐mass quark star system may form in an accretion induced collapse process or a collision process of two quark stars.

title: Measurement of Lambda polarization from Z decays
abstract: The polarization of Λ baryons from Z decays is studied with the Aleph apparatus. Evidence of longitudinal polarization of s quarks from Z decay is observed for the first time. The measured longitudinal Λ polarization is PLΛ = −0.32 ± 0.07 for . This agrees with the prediction of −0.39 ± 0.08 from the standard model and the constituent quark model, where the error is due to uncertainties in the mechanism for Λ production. The observed Λ polarization is diluted with respect to the primary s quark polarization by Λ baryons without a primary s quark. Measurements of the Λ forward-backward asymmetry and of the correlation between back-to-back Λ pairs are used to check this dilution. In addition the transverse Λ polarization is measured. An indication of transverse polarization, more than two standard deviations away from zero, is found along the normal to the plane defined by the thrust axis and the Λ direction.

title: Measurements of |V(cb)|, form-factors and branching fractions in the decays anti-B0 ---> D*+ lepton- anti-lepton-neutrino and anti-B0 ---> D+ lepton- anti-lepton-neutrino
abstract: Two samples of exclusive semileptonic decays, 579 events and 261 events, are selected from approximately 3.9 million hadronic Z decays collected by the ALEPH detector at LEP. From the reconstructed differential decay rate of each sample, the product of the hadronic form factor (ω) at zero recoil of the D(∗)+ meson and the CKM matrix element |Vcb| are measured to be , FD+(1)|Vcb| = (27.8 ± 6.8stat ± 6.5syst) × 10−3. The ratio of the form factors FD+(1) and is measured to be . A value of |Vcb| is extracted from the two samples, using theoretical constraints on the slope and curvature of the hadronic form factors and their normalization at zero recoil, with the result |Vcb| = (34.4 ± 1.6stat ± 2.3syst ± 1.4th) × 10−3. The branching fractions are measured from the two integrated spectra to be %, %.

title: Production of excited beauty states inZ decays
abstract: AbstractA data sample of about 3.0 million hadronicZ decays collected by the ALEPH experiment at LEP in the years 1991 through 1994 is used to make an inclusive selection of B hadron events. In this event sample 4227±140±252B* mesons in the decayB*→Bγ and 1944±108±161B**u,d mesons decaying into a B meson and a charged pion are reconstructed. Here and in the followingB**u,d denotes the eightL=1(bū) and (bd) states and their charge conjugate.For the well establishedB* meson the following quantities are obtained:ΔM=MB*−MB=(45.30±0.35±0.87) MeV/c2 andNB*/(NB+NB*)=(77.1±2.6±7.0)%. The angular distribution of the photons in theB* rest frame is used to measure the relative contribution of longitudinalB* polarization states to beσL/(σL+σT)=(33±6±5)%.In theM(Bπ)−M(B) mass difference resonance structure is observed at (424±4±10) MeV/c2, for which the shape and position is consistent with the expectation forB**u,d states decaying intoB(*)π±. The relative production rate is determined to be
$$\begin{gathered} \frac{{BR(Z \to b \to B_{u,d}^{ * * } )}}{{BR(Z \to b \to B_{u,d} )}} \hfill \\ = [27.9 \pm 1.6(stat) \pm 5.9(syst) {}_{ - 5.6}^{ + 3.9} (model)]\% \hfill \\ \end{gathered} $$
 where the third error reflects the uncertainty due to different production and decay models for the broadB**u,d states.

title: Study of the subjet structure of quark and gluon jets
abstract: Measurements of the subjet structure of quark and gluon jets in hadronic Z decays are presented. The analysis is based on one million hadronic events recorded by the Aleph detector. Roughly symmetric three-jet events are selected with a coarse jet-resolution cut-off, y1. Gluon jets are identified with a purity of 94.6% in those events where evidence of long-lived heavy-flavour hadrons in the other two jets is found. The jets are then analyzed using a smaller cut-off y0 (< y1) so that subjets are resolved. The properties of the jets (subjet multiplicities (Nq), (Ng) and rates Rng(q) for n = 1, 2, 3, 4) are determined and are found to be in good agreement with the expectations of perturbative QCD as long as the subjet resolution parameter y0 is sufficiently large to keep non-perturbative effects small. In particular, the ratio , which to leading order in QCD is given by the ratio of colour factors , is measured to be 1.96 ± 0.15 for y0 = 2 · 10−3, but falls to 1.29 ± 0.03 for y0 = 1.6 · 10−5.

title: Quark and gluon jet properties in symmetric three jet events
abstract: Quark and gluon jets with the same energy, 24 GeV, are compared in symmetric three-jet configurations from hadronic Z decays observed by the ALEPH detector. Jets are defined using the Durham algorithm. Gluon jets are identified using an anti-tag on b jets, based on a track impact parameter method. The comparison of gluon and mixed flavour quark jets shows that gluon jets have a softer fragmentation function, a larger angular width and a higher particle multiplicity, Evidence is presented which shows that the corresponding differences between gluon and b jets are significantly smaller. In a statistically limited comparison the multiplicity in c jets was found to be comparable with that observed for the jets of mixed quark flavour.