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There are three categories of stars whose masses have been found accurately in recent times: (1) two for which Shapiro delay is used which is possible due to GR light bending as the partner is heavy : PSR J1614-2230 and PSR J1903+0327 (2) six eclipsing stars for which numerical Roche Lobe geometry is used and (3) 3 stars for which spectroscopic methods are used and in fact for these three the mass and radii both are estimated. Motivated by large color (N_c) expansion using a modified Richardson potential, along with density dependent quark masses thereby allowing chiral symmetry restoration, we get compact strange stars fitting all the observed masses., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

We suggest that the mass of four compact stars SAX J1808.4$-$3658, KS 1731$-$260, SAX J1750.8$-$2900 and IGR J17191$-$2821 can be determined from the difference in the observed kiloHertz quasi periodic oscillations (kHz QPO-s) of these stars. The stellar radius is very close to the marginally stable orbit $R_{ms}$ as predicted by Einstein's general relativity. It may be noted that the first of these stars was suggested to be a strange star more than a decade back by Li \emph{et al.} (1999) from the unique millisecond X-ray pulsations with an accurate determination of its rotation period. It showed kHz QPO-s eight years back and so far it is the only set that has been observed. This is the first time we give an estimate of the mass of the star and of three other compact stars in Low-Mass X-ray Binaries using their observed kHz QPO-s., Comment: Accepted for publication in New Astronomy

High energy density ($\eps$) and temperature (T) links general relativity and hydrodynamics leading to a lower bound for the ratio of shear viscosity ($\eta$) and entropy density ($s$). We get the interesting result that the bound is saturated in the simple model for quark matter that we use for strange stars at the surface for $T \sim 80 MeV$. At this $T$ we have the possibility of cosmic separation of phases. At the surface of the star where the pressure is zero - the density $\eps$ has a fixed value for all stars of various masses with correspondingly varying central energy density $\eps_c$. Inside the star where this density is higher, the ratio of $\eta/s$ is larger and are like the known results found for perturbative QCD. This serves as a check of our calculation. The deconfined quarks at the surface of the strange star at $T = 80 MeV$ seem to constitute the most perfect interacting fluid permitted by nature., Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, 1 table; Accepted for publication in Phys. Lett. B

At finite temperature (T) there is a link with general relativity and hydrodynamics that leads to a lower bound for the ratio of shear viscosity and entropy density (\eta/s). We find that the bound is saturated in the simple model for quark matter that we use for strange stars at T = 80 MeV, at the surface of a strange star. At this T we have the possibility of cosmic separation of phases. We find that, although strongly correlated, the quark matter at the surface of strange stars constitute the most perfect interacting fluid permitted by nature. At the centre of the star, however, the density is higher and conditions are more like the results found for perturbative QCD., Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures; Improved version available in arXiv:0705.4645 [astro-ph]

Parity doubling is observed in hadron states around 1.5 GeV - and the estimated energy density is found to be high. When a large excitation energy is available and the pions decouple from the quarks, the QCD interaction is still not perturbative. And signature of such a system can exist in the form of small ratio of the shear viscosity to entropy density. This is true for an equation of state which is applicable to the surface of strange star. We indicate the correspondence of parity doubling with the apparently disconnected model calculation of compactness of some pulsars.