Strangeness and Metastable Neutron Stars: What Might have Happened to SN1987A

Immediately after they are born, neutron stars are characterized by an entropy per baryon of order unity and by the presence of trapped neutrinos. If the only hadrons in the star are nucleons, these effects slightly reduce the maximum mass relative to cold, catalyzed matter. However, if negatively charged particles in the form of hyperons, a kaon condensate, or quarks are also present, these effects result in an increase in the maximum mass of $\sim 0.2{\rm M}_{\odot}$ compared to that of a cold, neutrino-free star. This could lead to the delayed formation of a black hole; such a scenario is consistent with our present knowledge of SN1987A.