Nuclear matter

About: Nuclear matter is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 10180 publications have been published within this topic receiving 248261 citations.

Second relativistic mean field and virial equation of state for astrophysical simulations

Abstract: We generate a second equation of state (EOS) of nuclear matter for a wide range of temperatures, densities, and proton fractions for use in supernovae, neutron star mergers, and black hole formation simulations. We employ full relativistic mean field (RMF) calculations for matter at intermediate density and high density, and the virial expansion of a nonideal gas for matter at low density. For this EOS we use the RMF effective interaction FSUGold, whereas our earlier EOS was based on the RMF effective interaction NL3. The FSUGold interaction has a lower pressure at high densities compared to the NL3 interaction. We calculate the resulting EOS at over 100 000 grid points in the temperature range T=0 to 80 MeV, the density range n_B=10^(-8) to 1.6 fm^(-3), and the proton fraction range Y_p=0 to 0.56. We then interpolate these data points using a suitable scheme to generate a thermodynamically consistent equation of state table on a finer grid. We discuss differences between this EOS, our NL3-based EOS, and previous EOSs by Lattimer-Swesty and H. Shen et al. for the thermodynamic properties, composition, and neutron star structure. The original FSUGold interaction produces an EOS, which we call FSU1.7, that has a maximum neutron star mass of 1.7 solar masses. A modification in the high-density EOS is introduced to increase the maximum neutron star mass to 2.1 solar masses and results in a slightly different EOS that we call FSU2.1. The EOS tables for FSU1.7 and FSU2.1 are available for download.

LOCV calculation of nuclear matter with phenomenological two-nucleon interaction operators

Abstract: The lowest-order constrained variational (LOCV) method is developed for the wide range of phenomenological two-nucleon interaction operators such as , and U potentials. The calculation is performed for both nuclear and neutron matter with the state-dependent correlation operators. The validity of our lowest-order approximation is tested by calculating the three-body cluster energy with the state-averaged correlation functions. It is shown that while the three-body cluster energy improves the nuclear matter saturation density, the LOCV method still overbinds nuclear matter with the above potentials. Finally, we find that our LOCV results are similar to those calculations which have been performed by using more sophisticated many-body techniques.

Neutron Star Extreme Matter Observatory: A kilohertz-band gravitational-wave detector in the global network

Abstract: Gravitational waves from coalescing neutron stars encode information about nuclear matter at extreme densities, inaccessible by laboratory experiments. The late inspiral is influenced by the presence of tides, which depend on the neutron star equation of state. Neutron star mergers are expected to often produce rapidly-rotating remnant neutron stars that emit gravitational waves. These will provide clues to the extremely hot post-merger environment. This signature of nuclear matter in gravitational waves contains most information in the 2-4 kHz frequency band, which is outside of the most sensitive band of current detectors. We present the design concept and science case for a neutron star extreme matter observatory (NEMO): a gravitational-wave interferometer optimized to study nuclear physics with merging neutron stars. The concept uses high circulating laser power, quantum squeezing and a detector topology specifically designed to achieve the high-frequency sensitivity necessary to probe nuclear matter using gravitational waves. Above one kHz, the proposed strain sensitivity is comparable to full third-generation detectors at a fraction of the cost. Such sensitivity changes expected event rates for detection of post-merger remnants from approximately one per few decades with two A+ detectors to a few per year, and potentially allows for the first gravitational-wave observations of supernovae, isolated neutron stars, and other exotica.

Chiral Dynamics of Few- and Many-Nucleon Systems

Abstract: This review briefly introduces the chiral effective field theory of nuclear forces and atomic nuclei. We discuss the status of the nuclear Hamiltonian derived in this framework and some recent applications in few-nucleon sys- tems. We also introduce nuclear lattice simulations as a new tool to address the many-body problem and present some of the first results based on that method.

Microscopic Theory of the Nucleus

Abstract: Introduction. I. Two- and Three Nucleon Systems . The nucleon-nucleon interaction. Phase shift analysis. Varieties of nucleon-nucleon interactions. The three-nucleon problem. II. Nuclear Matter . Formal theory of many-particle systems. Infinite nuclear matter. III. Theories of the Structure of Light Nuclei. Hartree-Fock and particle-hole formalisms and the random phase approximation. Application of the Hartree-Fock and the particle-hole formalisms. Nuclear rotation. IV. Theories of the Structure of Heavier Nuclei. Pairing and quasiparticles. Collective motion in nuclei. Appendices: A. The projection of physical states. B. Collective coordinates in a consistent microscopic theory. References. Index.