Remarks on the Relative Populations of Neutron and Strange Stars

We consider a simple qualitative model to estimate the time-scale forneutron→strange matter decay in dense stellar environments. It is argued that a large mismatch between the former and the microscopic weak interaction time-scale suggests that a dual population of both types of compact objects is unlikely. Assuming the correctness of the strange matter hypothesis all of them should be strange stars. If one instead postulates accretion as the decisive feature for the conversion, a consideration of neutron stars structure indicates a fairly narrow range for the onset of the critical density before the corresponding Chandrasekhar mass is achieved.