Strangeness-Dependent Impedance and the Hyperon Puzzle: Baryon Decay Rates as a Probe of Neutron Star Stiffness

The hyperon puzzle - the tension between observed neutron star masses exceeding 2 M☉ and the expected softening of the equation of state from hyperon production - remains an open problem in nuclear astrophysics. We present evidence that strangeness content may play a dual role: softening the equation of state via Fermi relief, while simultaneously stiffening it through a geometric impedance mechanism. Analysis of baryon decuplet decay rates reveals that phase-space-corrected permeability η* decreases systematically with strangeness, following a saturation curve with an asymptotic floor at approximately 80% suppression. We define an anchoring variable w(|S|) that characterises this suppression and propose that the same mechanism impedes gravitational collapse in hyperon-rich neutron star cores. Incorporating this stiffening into Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff calculations, we demonstrate that moderate values of the stiffening coefficient (C ≈ 2) recover maximum masses consistent with the heaviest observed pulsars. The saturation behaviour of w suggests a geometric origin, potentially connected to the structure of the vacuum.