The QCD phase diagram and the gamma-ray bursts

Phase transitions which can take place in matter at different temperatures and densities are seen in the quantum chromodynamics diagram. The possibility that gamma-ray bursts might result from a phase change in the interior of a pulsar is discussed in the present work. The energy released in the conversion of a metastable star into a stable star is calculated and shown to be of the order of 10 50 –10 53 erg, accounting for both long and short gamma ray bursts.