  The equation of state of neutron-rich nuclear matter is of interest to both
nuclear physics and astrophysics. We have demonstrated the consistency between
laboratory and astrophysical nuclear matter in neutron stars by considering
low-density nuclear physics constraints (from $^{208}$Pb neutron-skin
thickness) and high-density astrophysical constraints (from neutron star global
properties). We have used both quark-level and hadron-level models, taking the
quark mean-field (QMF) model and the relativistic mean-field (RMF) model as
examples, respectively. We have constrained the equation of states of neutron
stars and some key nuclear matter parameters within the Bayesian statistical
approach, using the first multi-messenger event GW170817/AT 2017gfo, as well as
the mass-radius simultaneous measurements of PSR J0030+0451 and PSR J0740+6620
from NICER, and the neutron-skin thickness of $^{208}$Pb from both PREX-II
measurement and ab initio calculations. Our results show that, compared with
the RMF model, QMF model's direct coupling of quarks with mesons and gluons
leads to the evolution of the in-medium nucleon mass with the quark mass
correction. This feature enables QMF model a wider range of model
applicability, as shown by a slow drop of the nucleon mass with density and a
large value at saturation that is jointly constrained by nuclear physics and
astronomy.
