Inhomogeneous color superconductivity and the cooling of compact stars

In this talk I discuss the inhomogeneous (LOFF) color superconductive phases of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). In particular, I show the effect of a core of LOFF phase on the cooling of a compact star.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, uses aiproc style. Talk given at "Quark confinement and the hadron spectrum", Ponta Delgada, Acores, Portugal, 2-7 September 200

Phase diagram and pion modes of the neutral Nambu-Jona Lasinio model with the Polyakov loop

I discuss recent results obtained by our group within the Nambu-Jona Lasinio model with the Polyakov loop. I focus on the two flavor version of the model, discussing the phase diagram in the $\mu-T$ plane in the case in which electrical neutrality is required. One of the results is that pion condensation is not observed in our model when a physical mass for the light quarks is considered.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. Invited talk at the YITP international symposium on ``Fundamental Problems in Hot and/or Dense QCD'', Kyoto, Japan, 3-6 Mar 200

Deconfinement vs. chiral symmetry and higher representation matter

The interplay of deconfinement and chiral symmetry restoration are considered in terms of effective theories. We generalize the earlier model studies by considering fermions in higher representations, and study the finite temperature phase diagrams of SU(2) and SU(3) gauge theories with two fermion flavors in fundamental, adjoint or two-index symmetric representations. We discuss our results in relation to recent lattice simulations on these theories and outline possible applications in the context of dynamical electroweak symmetry breaking.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure