  The holographic models for dense QCD matter work surprisingly well. A general
implication seems that the deconfinement phase transition dictates the maximum
mass of neutron stars. The nuclear matter phase turns out to be rather stiff
which, if continuously merged with nuclear matter models based on effective
field theories, leads to the conclusion that neutron stars do not have quark
matter cores in the light of all current astrophysical data. We comment that as
the perturbative QCD results are in stark contrast with strong coupling
results, any future simulations of neutron star mergers incorporating
corrections beyond ideal fluid should proceed cautiously. For this purpose, we
provide a model which treats nuclear and quark matter phases in a unified
framework at strong coupling.
