Tag Archives: Nuclear Theory

Fast Neutrino Flavor Conversions can Help and Hinder Neutrino-Driven Explosions [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.11207


We present the first simulations of core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) in axial symmetry (2D) with feedback from fast neutrino flavor conversion (FFC). Our schematic treatment of FFCs assumes instantaneous flavor equilibration under the constraint of lepton-number conservation. Systematically varying the spatial domain where FFCs are assumed to occur, we find that they facilitate SN explosions in low-mass (9-12 solar masses) progenitors that otherwise explode with longer time delays, whereas FFCs weaken the tendency to explode of higher-mass (around 20 solar masses) progenitors.

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J. Ehring, S. Abbar, H. Janka, et. al.
Mon, 22 May 23
14/60

Comments: 7 pages, 4 figures, submitted to PRL

The Photon Content of the Neutron [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.10497


In this work, we complete our CT18qed study with the neutron’s photon parton distribution function (PDF), which is essential for the nucleus scattering phenomenology. Two methods, CT18lux and CT18qed, based on the LUXqed formalism and the DGLAP evolution, respectively, to determine the neutron’s photon PDF have been presented. Various low-$Q^2$ non-perturbative variations have been carefully examined, which are treated as additional uncertainties on top of those induced by quark and gluon PDFs. The impacts of the momentum sum rule as well as isospin symmetry violation have been explored, and turn out to be negligible. A detailed comparison with other neutron’s photon PDF sets has been performed, which shows a great improvement in the precision and a reasonable uncertainty estimation in our results. Finally, two phenomenological implications are demonstrated with photon-initiated processes: neutrino-nucleus $W$-boson production, which is important for the near-future TeV–PeV neutrino observations, and the axion-like particle production at a high-energy muon beam-dump experiment.

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K. Xie, B. Zhou and T. Hobbs
Fri, 19 May 23
9/46

Comments: 34 pages, 22 figures

Direct mapping of tidal deformability to the iso-scalar and iso-vector nuclear matter parameters [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.11007


Background: The equations of state (EoSs) which determine the properties of neutron stars (NSs) are often characterized by the iso-scalar and iso-vector nuclear matter parameters (NMPs). Recent attempts to relate the radius and tidal deformability of a NS to the individual NMPs have been inconclusive. These properties display strong correlations with the pressure of NS matter which depends on several NMPs. The knowledge of minimal NMPs that determine the NS properties will be necessary to address any connection between NS properties (e.g., tidal deformability) and that of finite nuclei.
Purpose: To identify the important NMPs required to describe the tidal deformability of neutron star for astrophysically relevant range of their gravitational masses (1.2 — 1.8 M$\odot$) as encountered in the binary neutron star merger events.
Method: We construct a large set of EoSs using four iso-scalar and five iso-vector NMPs. These EOSs are employed to perform a systematic analysis to isolate the NMPs that predominantly determine the tidal deformability, over a wide range of NS mass. The tidal deformability is then directly mapped to these NMPs.
Results: The tidal deformability of the NS with mass 1.2-1.8 M$\odot$ can be determined within 10$\%$ directly in terms of four nuclear matter parameters, namely, the incompressibility $K_0$ and skewness $Q_0$ of symmetric nuclear matter, and the slope $L_0$ and curvature parameter $K_{\rm sym,0}$ of symmetry energy.
Conclusion: A function that quickly estimates the value of tidal deformability in terms of minimal nuclear matter parameters is developed. Our method can also be extended to other NS observables.

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S. Imam, A. Mukherjee, B. Agrawal, et. al.
Fri, 19 May 23
24/46

Comments: 5 pages, 5 figures

Production of $p$-nuclei from $r$-process seeds: the $νr$-process [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.11050


We present a new nucleosynthesis process that may take place on neutron-rich ejecta experiencing an intensive neutrino flux. The nucleosynthesis proceeds similarly to the standard $r$-process, a sequence of neutron-captures and beta-decays, however with charged-current neutrino absorption reactions on nuclei operating much faster than beta-decays. Once neutron capture reactions freeze-out the produced $r$-process neutron-rich nuclei undergo a fast conversion of neutrons into protons and are pushed even beyond the $\beta$-stability line producing the neutron-deficient $p$-nuclei. This scenario, which we denote as the $\nu r$-process, provides an alternative channel for the production of $p$-nuclei and the short-lived nucleus $^{92}$Nb. We discuss the necessary conditions posed on the astrophysical site for the $\nu r$-process to be realized in nature. While these conditions are not fulfilled by current neutrino-hydrodynamic models of $r$-process sites, future models, including more complex physics and a larger variety of outflow conditions, may achieve the necessary conditions in some regions of the ejecta.

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Z. Xiong, G. Martínez-Pinedo, O. Just, et. al.
Fri, 19 May 23
42/46

Comments: 8 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PRL

Synthesis of elements in compact stars in pycnonuclear reactions with Carbon isotopes: Quasibound states versus states of zero-points vibrations [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.09389


(1) Purpose: Conditions of formation of compound nuclear system needed for synthesis of heavy nuclei in pycnonuclear reactions in compact stars are studied on a quantum mechanical basis. (2) Methods: Method of multiple internal reflections is generalized for pycnoreactions in compact stars with new calculations of quasibound spectra and spectra of zero-point vibrations. (3) Results: Peculiarities of the method are analyzed for reaction with isotopes of Carbon. The developed method takes into account continuity and conservation of quantum flux (describing pycnonuclear reaction) inside the full spacial region of reaction including nuclear region. This gives appearance of new states (called as quasibound states), in which compound nuclear systems of Magnesium are formed with the largest probability. These states have not been studied yet in synthesis of elements in stars. Energy spectra of zero-point vibrations and spectra of quasibound states are estimated with high precision for reactions with isotopes of Carbon. At the first time influence of plasma screening on quasibound states and states of zero-point vibrations in pycnonuclear reactions has been studied. (4) Conclusion: The probability of formation of compound nuclear system in quasibound states in pycnonuclear reaction is essentially larger than the probability of formation of this system in states of zero-point vibrations studied by Zel’dovich and followers. So, synthesis of Magnesium from isotopes of Carbon is more probable through the quasibound states than through the states of zero-point vibrations in compact stars. Energy spectra of zero-point vibrations are changed essentially after taking plasma screening into account. Analysis shows that from all studied isotopes of Magnesium only \isotope[24]{Mg} is stable after synthesis at energy of relative motion of 4.881~MeV of incident nuclei \isotope[12]{C}.

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S. Maydanyuk, G. Wolf and K. Shaulskyi
Wed, 17 May 23
39/67

Comments: 15 pages, 4 captured figures, 4 captured tables. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2205.13895

The uncertainties on the EFT coupling limits for direct dark matter detection experiments stemming from uncertainties of target properties [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.08991


Direct detection experiments are still one of the most promising ways to unravel the nature of dark matter. To fully understand how well these experiments constrain the dark matter interactions with the Standard Model particles, all the uncertainties affecting the calculations must be known. It is especially critical now because direct detection experiments recently moved from placing limits only on the two elementary spin independent and spin dependent operators to the complete set of possible operators coupling dark matter and nuclei in non-relativistic theory. In our work, we estimate the effect of nuclear configuration-interaction uncertainties on the exclusion bounds for one of the existing xenon-based experiments for all fifteen operators. We find that for operator number 13 the $\pm1\sigma$ uncertainty on the coupling between the dark matter and nucleon can reach more than 50% for dark matter masses between 10 and 1000 GeV. In addition, we discuss how quantum computers can help to reduce this uncertainty.

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D. Heimsoth, B. Lem, A. Suliga, et. al.
Wed, 17 May 23
49/67

Comments: 12 pages, 6 figures

Resolving phase transition properties of dense matter through tidal-excited g-mode from inspiring neutron stars [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.08401


The investigation of the phase state of dense matter is hindered by complications of first-principle nonperturbative quantum chromodynamics. By performing the first consistent general-relativistic calculations of tidal-excited g-mode of neutron stars with a first-order strong interaction phase transition in the high-density core, we demonstrate that gravitational wave signal during binary neutron star inspiral probes their innermost hadron-quark transition and provides potent constraints from present and future gravitational-wave detectors.

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Z. Miao, E. Zhou and A. Li
Tue, 16 May 23
51/83

Comments: 5 pages, 3 figures, 6 pages supplemental material

Exploring $^3P_0$ Superfluid in Dilute Spin-Polarized Neutron Matter [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.08690


We study the theoretical possibility of $^3P_0$ neutron superfluid in dilute spin-polarized neutron matter, which may be relevant to the crust region of a magnetized neutron star. In such a dilute regime where the neutron Fermi energy is less than 1 MeV, the $^1S_0$ neutron superfluid can be exhausted by a strong magnetic field of the compact star. At low-energy limit relevant for dilute neutron matter, the $^3P_0$ interaction is stronger than the $^3P_2$ one, which is believed to induce the triplet superfluid in the core. We present the ground-state phase diagram of dilute neutron matter with respect to the magnetic field and numerically estimate the critical temperature of $^3P_0$ neutron superfluid, which exceeds $10^7$~K.

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H. Tajima, H. Funaki, Y. Sekino, et. al.
Tue, 16 May 23
61/83

Comments: 6 pages, 3 figures

Phase Transition Phenomenology with Nonparametric Representations of the Neutron Star Equation of State [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.07411


Astrophysical observations of neutron stars probe the structure of dense nuclear matter and have the potential to reveal phase transitions at high densities. Most recent analyses are based on parametrized models of the equation of state with a finite number of parameters and occasionally include extra parameters intended to capture phase transition phenomenology. However, such models restrict the types of behavior allowed and may not match the true equation of state. We introduce a complementary approach that extracts phase transitions directly from the equation of state without relying on, and thus being restricted by, an underlying parametrization. We then constrain the presence of phase transitions in neutron stars with astrophysical data. Current pulsar mass, tidal deformability, and mass-radius measurements disfavor only the strongest of possible phase transitions (latent energy per particle $\gtrsim 100\,\mathrm{MeV}$). Weaker phase transitions are consistent with observations. We further investigate the prospects for measuring phase transitions with future gravitational-wave observations and find that catalogs of \result{$O(100)$} events will (at best) yield Bayes factors of $\sim 10:1$ in favor of phase transitions even when the true equation of state contains very strong phase transitions. Our results reinforce the idea that neutron star observations will primarily constrain trends in macroscopic properties rather than detailed microscopic behavior. Fine-tuned equation of state models will likely remain unconstrained in the near future.

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R. Essick, I. Legred, K. Chatziioannou, et. al.
Mon, 15 May 23
53/53

Comments: 18 pages (+12 pages of references and appendix), 17 figures, 5 tables

CREX- and PREX-II-motivated relativistic interactions and their implications for the bulk properties of nuclear matter and neutron stars [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.05937


We investigate the implications of parity-violating electron scattering experiment on neutron skin thickness of $^{48}$Ca (CREX) and $^{208}$Pb (PREX-II) data on the bulk properties of finite nuclei, nuclear matter, and neutron stars. The neutron skin thickness from the CREX and PREX-II data is employed to constrain the parameters of relativistic mean field models which includes different non-linear, self and cross-couplings among isoscalar-scalar $\sigma$, isoscalar-vector $\omega$, isovector-scalar $\delta$ and isovector-vector $\rho$ meson fields up to the quartic order. Three parametrizations of RMF model are proposed by fitting CREX, PREX-II and both CREX as well as PREX-II data to assess their implications. A covariance analysis is performed to assess the theoretical uncertainties of model parameters and nuclear matter observables along with correlations among them. The RMF model parametrization obtained with the CREX data acquires much smaller value of symmetry energy (J= 28.97$\pm$ 0.99 MeV), its slope parameter (L= 30.61$\pm 6.74$ MeV) in comparison to those obtained with PREX-II data. The neutron star properties are studied by employing the equations of state (EoSs) composed of nucleons and leptons in $\beta$ equilibrium.

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M. Kumar, S. Kumar, V. Thakur, et. al.
Thu, 11 May 23
19/55

Comments: 15 pages,15 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2210.02793

Detectability of a phase transition in neutron star matter with third-generation gravitational wave interferometers [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.05999


Possible strong first-order hadron-quark phase transitions in neutron star interiors leave an imprint on gravitational waves, which could be detected with planned third-generation interferometers. Given a signal from the late inspiral of a binary neutron star (BNS) coalescence, %the possibility of assessing the presence of such a phase transition depends on the precision that can be attained in the determination of the tidal deformability parameter, as well as on the model used to describe the hybrid star equation of state. For the latter, we employ here a phenomenological meta-modelling of the equation of state that largely spans the parameter space associated with both the low density phase and the quark high density compatible with current constraints. We show that with a network of third-generation detectors, a single loud BNS event might be sufficient to infer the presence of a phase transition at low baryon densities with an average Bayes factor $B\approx 100$, up to a luminosity distance ($\mathcal{D}_L \lesssim$ 300 Mpc).

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C. Mondal, M. Antonelli, F. Gulminelli, et. al.
Thu, 11 May 23
52/55

Comments: N/A

Strong-Field Physics in QED and QCD: From Fundamentals to Applications [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.03865


We provide a pedagogical review article on fundamentals and applications of the quantum dynamics in strong electromagnetic fields in QED and QCD. The fundamentals include the basic picture of the Landau quantization and the resummation techniques applied to the class of higher-order diagrams that are enhanced by large magnitudes of the external fields. We then discuss observable effects of the vacuum fluctuations in the presence of the strong fields, which consist of the interdisciplinary research field of nonlinear QED. We also discuss extensions of the Heisenberg-Euler effective theory to finite temperature/density and to non-Abelian theories with some applications. Next, we proceed to the paradigm of the dimensional reduction emerging in the low-energy dynamics in the strong magnetic fields. The mechanisms of superconductivity, the magnetic catalysis of the chiral symmetry breaking, and the Kondo effect are addressed from a unified point of view in terms of the renormalization-group method. We provide an up-to-date summary of the lattice QCD simulations in magnetic fields for the chiral symmetry breaking and the related topics as of the end of 2022. Finally, we discuss novel transport phenomena induced by chiral anomaly and the axial-charge dynamics. Those discussions are supported by a number of appendices.

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K. Hattori, K. Itakura and S. Ozaki
Tue, 9 May 23
53/88

Comments: Prepared for an invited review article

Stability of interlinked neutron vortex and proton flux-tube arrays in a neutron star — III. Proton feedback [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.04482


The coupled, time-dependent Gross-Pitaevskii and Ginzburg-Landau equations are solved simultaneously in three dimensions to investigate the equilibrium state and far-from-equilibrium, spin-down dynamics of an interpenetrating neutron superfluid and proton type-II superconductor, as an idealized description of the outer core of a neutron star. The simulations generalize previous calculations without the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equation, where proton feedback is absent. If the angle $\theta$ between the rotation and magnetic axes does not equal zero, the equilibrium state consists of geometrically complicated neutron vortex and proton flux-tube tangles, as the topological defects pin to one another locally but align with different axes globally. During spin-down, new types of motion are observed. For $\theta = 0$, entire vortices pair rectilinearly with flux tubes and move together while pinned. For $\theta \neq 0$, vortex segments pair with segments from one or more flux tubes, and the paired segments move together while pinned. The degree to which proton feedback impedes the deceleration of the crust is evaluated as a function of $\theta$ and the pinning strength, $\eta$. Key geometric properties of vortex-flux-tube tangles, such as filament length, mean curvature, and polarity are analysed. It is found that proton feedback smooths the deceleration of the crust, reduces the rotational glitch sizes, and stabilizes the vortex tangle dynamics. The dimensionless control parameters in the simulations are mutually ordered to match what is expected in a real neutron star, but their central values and dynamics ranges differ from reality by many orders of magnitude due to computational limitations.

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K. Thong, A. Melatos and L. Drummond
Tue, 9 May 23
60/88

Comments: N/A

Elasticity of neutron star mantle: improved compressible liquid drop model for cylindrical phases [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.03603


Neutron stars are the densest objects in the Universe. They have microscopically homogeneous core and heterogeneous crust. In particular, there may be a specific layer inside neutron stars, the mantle, which consists of substantially non-spherical nuclei immersed in a background of relativistic degenerate electrons and quasi-free neutrons. In this paper we reconsider transverse shear modulus for cylindrical phases of the mantle within the framework of compressible liquid drop model. We demonstrate that transverse shear affects the shape of nuclear clusters: their cross-section becomes elliptical. This effect reduces respective elastic constant. Using a simple model we perform all derivations analytically and obtain the expression for the transverse shear modulus, which can be useful for astrophysical applications.

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N. Zemlyakov and A. Chugunov
Mon, 8 May 23
24/63

Comments: 12 pages, 4 figures, published in Universe

The maximum mass and deformation of rotating strange quark stars with strong magnetic fields [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.03055


We study the structure and total energy of a strange quark star (SQS) endowed with a strong magnetic field with different rotational frequencies. The MIT bag model is used, with the density-dependent bag constant for the equation of state (EOS). The EOS is computed considering the Landau quantization effect regarding the strong magnetic fields (up to $5\times10^{17}$ G) in the interior of the strange quark star. Using the LORENE library, we calculate the structural parameters of SQS for different setups of magnetic field strengths and rotational frequencies. In each setup, we perform calculations for $51$ stellar configurations, with specified central enthalpy values. We investigate the configurations with the maximum gravitational mass of SQS in each setup. Our models of SQSs are compared in the maximum gravitational mass, binding energy, compactness, and deformation of the star. We show that the gravitational mass might exceed $2.3 M_\odot$ in some models, which is comparable with the mass of the recently detected “black widow” pulsar \emph{PSR J0952-0607} and the mass of \emph{GW190814} detected by the LIGO/Virgo collaboration. The deformation and maximum gravitational mass of SQS can be characterized by simple functions that have been fitted to account for variations in both magnetic field strength and frequency. Rapidly rotating strange stars have a minimum gravitational mass given by the equatorial mass-shedding limit.

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F. Kayanikhoo, M. Kapusta and M. Čemeljić
Mon, 8 May 23
35/63

Comments: 18 pages, 10 Figures, 2 tables, submitted to PhysRevD

Nonparametric model for the equations of state of neutron star from deep neural network [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.03323


It is of great interest to understand the equation of state (EOS) of the neutron star (NS), whose core includes highly dense matter. However, there are large uncertainties in the theoretical predictions for the EOS of NS. It is useful to develop a new framework, which is flexible enough to consider the systematic error in theoretical predictions and to use them as a best guess at the same time. We employ a deep neural network to perform a non-parametric fit of the EOS of NS using currently available data. In this framework, the Gaussian process is applied to represent the EOSs and the training set data required to close physical solutions. Our model is constructed under the assumption that the true EOS of NS is a perturbation of the relativistic mean-field model prediction. We fit the EOSs of NS using two different example datasets, which can satisfy the latest constraints from the massive neutron stars, NICER, and the gravitational wave of the binary neutron stars. Given our assumptions, we find that a maximum neutron star mass is $2.38^{+0.15}{-0.13} M\odot$ or $2.41^{+0.15}{-0.14}$ at $95\%$ confidence level from two different example datasets. It implies that the $1.4 M\odot$ radius is $12.31^{+0.29}{-0.31}$ km or $12.30^{+0.35}{-0.37}$ km. These results are consistent with results from previous studies using similar priors. It has demonstrated the recovery of the EOS of NS using a nonparametric model.

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W. Zhou, J. Hu, Y. Zhang, et. al.
Mon, 8 May 23
54/63

Comments: 12 pages, 9 figures, 2 tables, accepted by Astrophysical Journal

Impacts of dark matter interaction on nuclear and neutron star matter within the relativistic mean-field model [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.02065


This thesis explores the effects of dark matter (DM) on neutron stars (NSs) using the relativistic mean-field (RMF) model. The effects of DM on NS properties, including the mass-radius relation, the moment of inertia, and tidal deformability, are calculated by varying its fraction. The study found that the EOS becomes softer with increasing DM momentum, and the DM has marginal effects on nuclear matter properties, except for the EOSs and binding energy per particle. The study also calculated the properties of isolated, static, and rotating DM admixed NS and found that the DM has significant effects on both static and rotating NS. We have also observed that a tiny amount of DM can accumulate inside the NS, and more amount of it makes the NS unstable. The study also suggests that the secondary component might be a NS with DM content if the underlying nuclear EOS is sufficiently stiff. The $f$-mode oscillations of the DM admixed hyperon stars are calculated and found that there exist a correlation between canonical $f$-mode frequency and the dimensionless tidal deformability parameter ($\Lambda_{1.4}$) and we have put a constraint on $f$-mode frequency using GW170817 data. Finally, we have calculated the DM admixed binary NS properties and found that the binary system becomes less deformed and sustains more time in its inspiral phases with the addition of DM. Therefore, we suggest that one can take DM inside the compact objects while modeling the inspiral waveforms for the BNS systems.

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H. Das
Thu, 4 May 23
58/60

Comments: PhD Thesis

Production of n-rich nuclei in red giant stars [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.01549


We outline a partial historical summary of the steps through which the nucleosynthesis phenomena induced by {\it slow} neutron captures (the {\it s-process}) were clarified, a scientific achievement in which Franz K\”appeler played a major role. We start by recalling the early phenomenological approach, which yielded a basic understanding of the subject even before models for the parent stellar evolutionary stages were developed. Through such a tool, rough limits for the neutron density and exposure were set, and the crucial fact was understood that more than one nucleosynthesis component is required to account for solar abundances of $s$-process nuclei up to the Pb-Bi region. We then summarize the gradual understanding of the stellar processes actually involved in the production of nuclei from Sr to Pb (the so-called {\it Main Component}, achieved in the last decade of the past century and occurring in red giants of low and intermediate mass, ($M \lesssim$ 8 $M_{\odot}$), populating, in the {\it HR} diagram, the {\it Asymptotic Giant Branch} or {\it AGB} region. We conclude by giving some details on more recent research concerning mixing mechanisms inducing the activation of the main neutron source, $^{13}$C($\alpha$,n)$^{16}$O.

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M. Busso and S. Palmerini
Wed, 3 May 23
3/67

Comments: 35 page, 8 figures

Quantum information and quantum simulation of neutrino physics [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.01150


In extreme astrophysical environments such as core-collapse supernovae and binary neutron star mergers, neutrinos play a major role in driving various dynamical and microphysical phenomena, such as baryonic matter outflows, the synthesis of heavy elements, and the supernova explosion mechanism itself. The interactions of neutrinos with matter in these environments are flavor-specific, which makes it of paramount importance to understand the flavor evolution of neutrinos. Flavor evolution in these environments can be a highly nontrivial problem thanks to a multitude of collective effects in flavor space, arising due to neutrino-neutrino ($\nu$-$\nu$) interactions in regions with high neutrino densities. A neutrino ensemble undergoing flavor oscillations under the influence of significant $\nu$-$\nu$ interactions is somewhat analogous to a system of coupled spins with long-range interactions among themselves and with an external field (‘long-range’ in momentum-space in the case of neutrinos). As a result, it becomes pertinent to consider whether these interactions can give rise to significant quantum correlations among the interacting neutrinos, and whether these correlations have any consequences for the flavor evolution of the ensemble. In particular, one may seek to utilize concepts and tools from quantum information science and quantum computing to deepen our understanding of these phenomena. In this article, we attempt to summarize recent work in this field. Furthermore, we also present some new results in a three-flavor setting, considering complex initial states.

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A. Balantekin, M. Cervia, A. Patwardhan, et. al.
Wed, 3 May 23
11/67

Comments: 13 pages, 3 figures. Invited review for the Eur. Phys. J. A special issue on “Quantum computing in low-energy nuclear theory”

New 26P(p,γ)27S thermonuclear reaction rate and its astrophysical implication in rp-process [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.00371


Accurate nuclear reaction rates for 26P(p,{\gamma})27S are pivotal for a comprehensive understanding of rp-process nucleosynthesis path in the region of proton-rich sulfur and phosphorus isotopes. However, large uncertainties still exist in the current rate of 26P(p,{\gamma})27S because of the lack of the nuclear mass and the energy level structure information of 27S. We reevaluate this reaction rate using the experimentally constrained 27S mass, together with the shell-model predicted level structure. It is found that the 26P(p,{\gamma})27S reaction rate is dominated by a direct-capture (DC) reaction mechanism despite the presence of three resonances at E = 1.104, 1.597, 1.777 MeV above the proton threshold in 27S. The new rate is overall smaller than the other previous rates from Hauser-Feshbach statistical model by at least one order of magnitude in the temperature range of X-ray burst interest. In addition, we consistently update the photodisintegration rate using the new 27S mass. The influence of new rates of forward and reverse reaction in the abundances of isotopes produced in rp-process is explored by post-processing nucleosynthesis calculations. The final abundance ratio of 27S/26P obtained using the new rates is only 10% of that from the old rate. The abundance flow calculations show the reaction path 26P(p,{\gamma})27S(\b{eta}+,{\nu})27P is not as important as thought previously for producing 27P. The adoption of the new reaction rates for 26P(p,{\gamma})27S only reduces the final production of aluminum by 7.1%, and has no discernible impact on the yield of other elements.

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S. Hou, J. Liu, T. Trueman, et. al.
Tue, 2 May 23
3/57

Comments: N/A

DT fusion through the $^5$He $3/2+$ "Bretscher state" accounts for $\ge 25\%$ of our existence via nucleosynthesis and for the possibility of fusion energy [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.00647


In big bang nucleosynthesis (BBN), the deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion reaction, D(T,n)$\alpha$, enhanced by the 3/2$^+$ resonance, is responsible for 99% of primordial $^4$He. This has been known for decades and has been well documented in the scientific literature. However, following the tradition adopted by authors of learned articles, it was stated in a matter-of-fact manner and not emphasized; for most people, it has remained unknown. This helium became a source for the subsequent creation of $\geq$25\% of the carbon and other heavier elements and, thus, a substantial fraction of our human bodies. (To be more precise than $\geq$25\% will require future simulation studies on stellar nucleosynthesis.)
Also, without this resonance, controlled fusion energy would be beyond reach. For example, for inertial confinement fusion (ICF), laser energy delivery for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) would have to be approximately 70 times larger for ignition.
Because the resonance enhances the DT fusion cross section a hundredfold, we propose that the 3/2$^+$ $^5$He excited state be referred to as the “Bretscher state” in honor of the Manhattan Project scientist who discovered it, in analogy with the well-known 7.6 MeV “Hoyle state” in $^{12}$C that allows for the resonant 3$\alpha$ formation.

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M. Chadwick, M. Paris and B. Haines
Tue, 2 May 23
4/57

Comments: 4 pages, 4 figures

Determination of the neutron skin of $^{208}$Pb from ultrarelativistic nuclear collisions [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2305.00015


Emergent bulk properties of matter governed by the strong nuclear force give rise to physical phenomena across vastly different scales, ranging from the shape of atomic nuclei to the masses and radii of neutron stars. They can be accessed on Earth by measuring the spatial extent of the outer skin made of neutrons that characterises the surface of heavy nuclei. The isotope $^{208}$Pb, owing to its simple structure and neutron excess, has been in this context the target of many dedicated efforts. Here, we determine the neutron skin from measurements of particle distributions and their collective flow in $^{208}$Pb+$^{208}$Pb collisions at ultrarelativistic energy performed at the Large Hadron Collider, which are sensitive to the overall size of the colliding $^{208}$Pb ions. By means of state-of-the-art global analysis tools within the hydrodynamic model of heavy-ion collisions, we infer a neutron skin $\Delta r_{np}=0.217\pm0.058$ fm, consistent with nuclear theory predictions, and competitive in accuracy with a recent determination from parity-violating asymmetries in polarised electron scattering. We establish thus a new experimental method to systematically measure neutron distributions in the ground state of atomic nuclei.

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G. Giacalone, G. Nijs and W. Schee
Tue, 2 May 23
47/57

Comments: 8 pages, 6 figures. The Trajectum code can be found at this https URL Plotting routines can be found at this http URL

Gravitational waves from non-radial perturbations in glitching pulsars [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.14644


The Rossby mode (r-mode) perturbations in pulsars as a steady gravitational wave (GW) sources have been explored. The time evolution and the intensity of the emitted GWs in terms of the strain tensor amplitude have been estimated with the approximation of slow rotation adopting the equation of state derived using the Skyrme effective interaction with NRAPR parameter set. The core of the neutron star has been considered to be $\beta$-equilibrated nuclear matter composed of neutrons, protons, electrons and muons, which is surrounded by a solid crust. Calculations have been made for the critical frequencies, the evolution of frequencies and frequency change rates with time as well as the fiducial viscous and gravitational timescales, across a broad spectrum of pulsar masses. Our findings reveal that the r-mode instability region is associated with rotating young and hot pulsars. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that pulsars with low $L$ value emit gravitational radiation and fall within the r-mode instability region if the primary dissipative mechanism is shear viscosity along the crust-core interface boundary layer. The r-mode perturbation amplitude increases because of GW emissions, in contrast to other non-radial perturbations which transport to infinity the star’s angular momentum. Thus the presence of these stellar perturbations implies a non-negative rate of change in transfer of rotational angular momentum. This observation suggests that for a glitching pulsar, the GW emission intensity evolves increasingly with time till the angular frequency diminishes to a value that is below a crucial threshold, after which the compact star ceases to emit radiation.

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J. Lahiri and D. Basu
Mon, 1 May 23
3/51

Comments: 15 pages including 15 figures and 2 tables

Finite temperature description of Fermi gases with in-medium effective mass [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.14715


We investigate Fermi gases at finite temperature for which the in-medium effective mass may not be constant as a function of the density, the temperature, or the chemical potential. We suggest a formalism that separates the terms for which the mass is constant from the terms which explicitly treat the correction due to the in-medium effective mass. We employ the ensemble equivalence in infinite matter in order to treat these different terms. Our formalism is applied in nuclear matter and we show its goodness by comparing it to an exact treatment based on the numerical calculation of the Fermi integrals.

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M. Dutra, O. Lourenço and J. Margueron
Mon, 1 May 23
5/51

Comments: 11 pages, 2 figures, 3 tables

Do we have enough evidence to invalidate the mean-field approximation adopted to model collective neutrino oscillations? [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.13050


Recent body of work points out that the mean-field approximation, widely employed to mimic the neutrino field within a neutrino-dense source, might give different results in terms of flavor evolution with respect to the correspondent many-body treatment. In this paper, we investigate whether such conclusions derived within a constrained framework should hold in an astrophysical context. We show that the plane waves, commonly adopted in the many-body literature to model the neutrino field, provide results that are crucially different with respect to the ones obtained using wavepackets of finite size streaming with a non-zero velocity. The many-body approach intrinsically includes coherent and incoherent scatterings. The mean-field approximation, on the other hand, only takes into account the coherent scattering in the absence of the collision term. Even if incoherent scatterings are included in the mean-field approach, the nature of the collision term is different from that in the many-body approach. Because of this, if only a finite number of neutrinos is considered, as often assumed, the two approaches naturally lead to different flavor outcomes. These differences are further exacerbated by vacuum mixing. We conclude that existing many-body literature, based on closed neutrino systems with a finite number of particles, is neither able to rule out nor assess the validity of the mean-field approach adopted to simulate the evolution of the neutrino field in dense astrophysical sources, which are open systems.

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S. Shalgar and I. Tamborra
Thu, 27 Apr 23
58/78

Comments: 11 pages, 6 figures, 2 column revtex format

Colour-Flavour Locked Quark Stars in Light of the Compact Object in HESS J1731-347 and the GW190814 Event [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.12209


The central compact object within HESS J1731- 347 possesses unique mass and radius properties that renders it a compelling candidate for a self-bound star. In this research, we examine the capability of quark stars composed of colour superconducting quark matter to explain the latter object by using its marginalised posterior distribution and imposing it as a constraint on the relevant parameter space. Namely, we investigate quark matter for $N_f=2,3$ in the colour superconducting phase, incorporating perturbative QCD corrections, and we derive their properties accordingly. The utilised thermodynamic potential of this work possesses an MIT bag model formalism with the parameters being established as flavour-independent. In this instance, we conclude the favour of 3-flavour over 2-flavour colour superconducting quark matter, isolating our interest on the former. The parameter space is further confined due to the additional requirement for a high maximum mass ($M_{\text{TOV}} \geq 2.6 M_{\odot}$), accounting for GW$190814$’s secondary companion. We pay a significant attention on the speed of sound and the trace anomaly (proposed as a measure of conformality [\href{https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.252702}{10.1103/PhysRevLett.129.252702}]). We conclude that it is possible for colour-flavour locked quark stars to reach high masses without violating the conformal bound or the $\langle \Theta \rangle {\mu_B} \geq 0$ if the quartic coefficient value $\alpha_4$ does not exceed an upper limit which is solely dependent on the established $M{\text{TOV}}$. For $M_{\text{TOV}}=2.6 M_{\odot}$, we find that the limit reads $\alpha_4 \leq 0.594$. Lastly, a further study takes place on the agreement of colour-flavour locked quark stars with additional astrophysical objects including the GW$170817$ and GW$190425$ events, followed by a relevant discussion.

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P. Oikonomou and C. Moustakidis
Tue, 25 Apr 23
25/72

Comments: 13 pages, 10 figures, 1 table

Neutron Stars on Modified Teleparallel Gravity [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2301.06432


We investigate compact objects in modified teleparallel gravity with realistic equations of state. We propose a modification on Teleparallel Equivalent of General Relativity, then an appropriate tetrad is applied on the field equations. A specific set of relations showing a equivalency between our gravitational model and the New General Relativity is found. The conservation equation implies that our Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations are presented with an effective pressure and energy density, where a free parameter \b{eta}3 is used to construct them. Numerical analysis using realistic equations of state is made, the behavior of mass, radius and the relation mass-radius as functions of \b{eta}3 is also investigated.

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S. Vilhena, S. Duarte, M. Dutra, et. al.
Thu, 20 Apr 23
17/57

Comments: 8 pages, 5 figures

Dark matter effects in modified teleparallel gravity [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.07364


This work investigates dark matter (DM) effects in compact objects in modified teleparallel gravity (MTG) in which a modification of Teleparallel Equivalent to General Relativity is used. We applied a tetrad to the modified field equations where a set of relations is found. The conservation equation allows us to rewrite our Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations with an effective gravitational coupling constant. As input to these new equations, we use a relativistic mean-field (RMF) model with dark matter content included, obtained from a Lagrangian density with both, hadronic and dark particle degrees of freedom, as well as the Higgs boson, used as a mediator in both sectors of the theory. Through numerical calculations, we analyze the mass-radius diagrams obtained from different parametrizations of the RMF-DM model, generated by assuming different values of the dark particle Fermi momentum and running the free parameter coming from the MTG. Our results show that it is possible for the system simultaneously support more DM content, and be compatible with recent astrophysical data provided by LIGO and Virgo Collaboration, as well as by NASA’s Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER).

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S. Vilhena, M. Dutra, O. Lourenço, et. al.
Thu, 20 Apr 23
44/57

Comments: 8 pages, 2 figures

Bayesian averaging for ground state masses of atomic nuclei in a Machine Learning approach [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.08546


We present global predictions of the ground state mass of atomic nuclei based on a novel Machine Learning (ML) algorithm. We combine precision nuclear experimental measurements together with theoretical predictions of unmeasured nuclei. This hybrid data set is used to train a probabilistic neural network. In addition to training on this data, a physics-based loss function is employed to help refine the solutions. The resultant Bayesian averaged predictions have excellent performance compared to the testing set and come with well-quantified uncertainties which are critical for contemporary scientific applications. We assess extrapolations of the model’s predictions and estimate the growth of uncertainties in the region far from measurements.

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M. Mumpower, M. Li, T. Sprouse, et. al.
Wed, 19 Apr 23
28/58

Comments: 15 pages, 10 figures, comments welcome

Hot and highly magnetized neutron star matter properties with Skyrme interactions [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.08776


We study the properties of hot and dense neutron star matter under the presence of strong magnetic fields using two Skyrme interactions, namely the LNS and the BSk21 ones. Asking for $\beta$–stability and charge neutrality, we construct the equation of state of the system and analyze its composition for a range of densities, temperatures and magnetic field intensities of interest for the study of supernova and proto-neutron star matter, with a particular interest on the degree of spin-polarization of the different components. The results show that system configurations with larger fractions of spin up protons and spin down neutrons and electrons are energetically favored over those with larger fractions of spin down protons and spin up neutrons and electrons. The effective mass of neutrons and protons is found to be in general larger for the more abundant of their spin projection component, respectively, spin down neutrons and spin up protons. The effect of the magnetic field on the Helmhotz total free energy density, pressure and isothermal compressibility of the system is almost negligible for all the values of the magnetic field considered.

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O. Benvenuto, E. Bauer and I. Vidaña
Wed, 19 Apr 23
55/58

Comments: 10 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables

Quarkyonic Model for Neutron Star Matter: A Relativistic Mean-Field Approach [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.08223


The concept of quarkyonic matter presents a promising alternative to the conventional models used to describe high-density matter and provides a more nuanced and detailed understanding of the properties of matter under extreme conditions that exist in astrophysical bodies. The aim of this study is to showcase the effectiveness of utilizing the quarkyonic model, in combination with the relativistic mean-field formalism, to parameterize the equation of state at high densities. Through this approach, we intend to investigate and gain insights into various fundamental properties of a static neutron star, such as its compositional ingredients, speed of sound, mass-radius profile, and tidal deformability. The obtained results revealed that the quarkyonic matter equation of state (EOS) is capable of producing a heavy neutron star with the mass range of $\sim$ $2.8 M_\odot$. The results of our inquiry have demonstrated that the EOS for quarkyonic matter not only yields a neutron star with a significantly high mass but also showcases a remarkable degree of coherence with the conformal limit of the speed of sound originating from deconfined QCD matter. Furthermore, we have observed that the tidal deformability of the neutron star, corresponding to the EOSs of quarkyonic matter, is in excellent agreement with the observational constraints derived from the GW170817 and GW190425 events. This finding implies that the quarkyonic model is capable of forecasting the behavior of neutron stars associated with binary merger systems. This aspect has been meticulously scrutinized in terms of merger time, gravitational wave signatures, and collapse times using numerical relativity simulations.

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A. Kumar, D. Dey, S. Haque, et. al.
Tue, 18 Apr 23
29/80

Comments: N/A

Revisiting the Lithium abundance problem in Big-Bang nucleosynthesis [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.08032


One of the three testaments in favor of the big bang theory is the prediction of the primordial elemental abundances in the big-bang nucleosynthesis (BBN). The Standard BBN is a parameter-free theory due to the precise knowledge of the baryon-to-photon ratio of the Universe obtained from studies of the anisotropies of cosmic microwave background radiation. Although the computed abundances of light elements during primordial nucleosynthesis and those determined from observations are in good agreement throughout a range of nine orders of magnitude, there is still a disparity of $^7$Li abundance overestimated by a factor of $\sim 2.5$ when calculated theoretically. The number of light neutrino flavors, the neutron lifetime and the baryon-to-photon ratio in addition to the astrophysical nuclear reaction rates determine the primordial abundances. We previously looked into the impact of updating baryon-to-photon ratio and neutron lifetime and changing quite a few reaction rates on the yields of light element abundances in BBN. In this work, calculations are performed using new reaction rates for $^3$H(p,$\gamma$)$^4$He, $^6$Li(p,$\gamma$)$^7$Be, $^7$Be(p,$\gamma$)$^8$B, $^{13}$N(p,$\gamma$)$^{14}$O, $^7$Li(n,$\gamma$)$^8$Li and $^{11}$B(n,$\gamma$)$^{12}$B along with the latest measured value of neutron lifetime. We observe from theoretical calculations that these changes result in marginal improvement over a sizable twelve percent reduction in the abundance of $^7$Li achieved earlier.

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V. Singh, D. Bhowmick and D. Basu
Tue, 18 Apr 23
40/80

Comments: 6 pages including 1 table. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1708.05567

Tabulated Equations of State From Models Informed by Chiral Effective Field Theory [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.07836


We construct four equation of state (EoS) tables, tabulated over a range of temperatures, densities, and charge fractions, relevant for neutron star applications such as simulations of neutron star mergers. The EoS are computed from a relativistic mean-field theory constrained by the pure neutron matter EoS from chiral effective field theory, inferred properties of isospin-symmetric nuclear matter, and astrophysical observations of neutron star structure. To model nuclear matter at low densities, we attach an EoS that models inhomogeneous nuclear matter at arbitrary temperatures and charge fractions. The four EoS tables we develop are available from the CompOSE EoS repository https://compose.obspm.fr/eos/297 and https://gitlab.com/ahaber/qmc-rmf-tables.

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M. Alford, L. Brodie, A. Haber, et. al.
Tue, 18 Apr 23
47/80

Comments: 8 pages, 2 figures

Properties of First-Order Hadron-Quark Phase Transition from Directly Inverting Neutron Star Observables [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.07381


By directly inverting the observational data of several neutron star observables in the three dimensional parameter space of the constant speed of sound (CSS) model while fixing all hadronic Equation of State parameters at their currently known most probable values, we constrain the three parameters of the CSS model and their correlations. Using two lower radius limits of $R_{2.01}=11.41$ km and $R_{2.01}=12.2$ km for PSR J0740+6620 obtained from two independent analyses using different approaches by the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) Collaboration, the speed of sound squared $c_{\rm QM}^2$ in quark matter is found to have a lower limit of $0.35$ and $0.43$ in unit of $c^2$, respectively, above its conformal limit of $c_{\rm QM}^2<1/3$. Moreover, an approximately linear correlation between the first-order hadron-quark transition density $\rho_t$ and its strength $\Delta\varepsilon$ is found.

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N. Zhang and B. Li
Tue, 18 Apr 23
75/80

Comments: 7 pages with 4 figures

Building an Equation of State Density Ladder [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.05441


The confluence of major theoretical, experimental, and observational advances are providing a unique perspective on the equation of state of dense neutron-rich matter — particularly its symmetry energy — and its imprint on the mass-radius relation for neutron stars. In this contribution we organize these developments in an equation of state density ladder. Of particular relevance to this discussion is the impact of the various rungs on the equation of state and the identification of possible discrepancies among the various methods. A preliminary analysis identifies a possible tension between laboratory measurements and gravitational-wave detections that could indicate the emergence of a phase transition in the stellar core.

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M. Salinas and J. Piekarewicz
Thu, 13 Apr 23
54/59

Comments: N/A

Variation of the quadrupole hyperfine structure and nuclear radius due to an interaction with scalar and axion dark matter [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.04469


Atomic spectroscopy is used to search for the space-time variation of fundamental constants which may be due to an interaction with scalar and pseudo-scalar (axion) dark matter. In this letter, we study the effects which are produced by the variation of the nuclear radius and electric quadrupole moment. The sensitivity of the electric quadrupole hyperfine structure to both the variation of the quark mass and the effects of dark matter exceeds that of the magnetic hyperfine structure by 1-2 orders of magnitude. Therefore, the measurement of the variation of the ratio of the electric quadrupole and magnetic dipole hyperfine constants is proposed. The sensitivity of the optical clock transitions in the Yb$^+$ ion to the variation of the nuclear radius allows us to extract, from experimental data, limits on the variation of the hadron and quark masses, the QCD parameter $\theta$ and the interaction with axion and scalar dark matter.

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V. Flambaum and A. Mansour
Tue, 11 Apr 23
52/63

Comments: N/A

Revisiting proton-proton fusion in chiral effective field theory [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.03327


We calculate the $S$-factor for proton-proton fusion using chiral effective field theory interactions and currents. By performing order-by-order calculations with a variety of chiral interactions that are regularized and calibrated in different ways, we assess the uncertainty in the $S$-factor from the truncation of the effective field theory expansion and from the sensitivity of the $S$-factor to the short-distance axial current determined from three- and four-nucleon observables. We find that $S(0)=(4.100\pm0.019\mathrm{(syst)}\pm0.013\mathrm{(stat)}\pm0.008(g_A))\times10^{-23}~\mathrm{MeV\,fm}^2\,,$ where the three uncertainties arise, respectively, from the truncation of the effective field theory expansion, use of the two-nucleon axial current fit to few-nucleon observables and variation of the axial coupling constant within the recommended range.

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B. Acharya, L. Marcucci and L. Platter
Mon, 10 Apr 23
31/36

Comments: N/A

Asymptotic normalization coefficients of alpha-particle removal from $^{16}$O($3^-,2^+,1^-$) [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.02821


Asymptotic normalization coefficients (ANC) determine the overall normalization of cross sections of peripheral radiative capture reactions. In a recent paper [Blokhintsev {\em et al.}, Eur. Phys. J. A {\bf 58}, 257 (2022)], we considered the ANC $C_0$ for the virtual decay $^{16}$O$(0^+; 6.05$ MeV)$\to \alpha+^{12}$C(g.s.). In the present paper, which can be regarded as a continuation of the previous, we treat the ANCs $C_l$ for the vertices $^{16}$O$(J^\pi)\to \alpha+^{12}$C(g.s.) corresponding to the other three bound excited states of $^{16}$O ($J^\pi=3^-$, $2^+$, $1^-$, $l=J$). ANCs $C_l$ ($l=3,\,2,\,1$) are found by analytic continuation in energy of the $\alpha^{12}$C $l$-wave partial scattering amplitudes, known from the phase-shift analysis of experimental data, to the pole corresponding to the $^{16}$O bound state and lying in the unphysical region of negative energies. To determine $C_l$, the scattering data are approximated by the sum of polynomials in energy in the physical region and then extrapolated to the pole. For a more reliable determination of the ANCs, various forms of functions expressed in terms of phase shifts were used in analytical approximation and subsequent extrapolation.

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L. Blokhintsev, A. Kadyrov, A. Mukhamedzhanov, et. al.
Fri, 7 Apr 23
30/50

Comments: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2208.09587

Temperature and Strong Magnetic Field Effects in Dense Matter [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.02454


We study consistently the effects of magnetic field on hot and dense matter. In particular, we look for differences that arise due to assumptions that reproduce the conditions produced in particle collisions or astrophysical scenarios, such as in the core of fully evolved neutron stars. We assume the magnetic field to be either constant or follow a profile extracted from general relativity calculations of magnetars and make use of two realistic models that can consistently describe chiral symmetry restoration and deconfinement to quark matter, {the CMF and the PNJL models}. We find that net isospin, strangeness, and {weak} chemical equilibrium with leptons can considerably change the effects of temperature and magnetic fields on particle content and deconfinement in dense matter. We finish by discussing the possibility of experimentally detecting quark deconfinement in dense and/or hot matter and the possible role played by magnetic fields.

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J. Peterson, P. Costa, R. Kumar, et. al.
Thu, 6 Apr 23
47/76

Comments: N/A

Hybrid stars with reactive interfaces: analysis within the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01898


It has been shown recently that quark-hadron conversions at the interface of a hybrid star may have a key role on the dynamic stability of the compact object. In this work we perform a systematic study of hybrid stars with reactive interfaces using a model-agnostic piecewise-polytropic hadronic equation of state and the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model for three-flavor quark matter. For the hadronic phase we use a soft, an intermediate and a stiff parametrization that match at $1.1 n_0$ {with predictions} based on chiral effective field theory (cEFT) interactions. In the NJL Lagrangian we include scalar, vector and ‘t Hooft interactions. The vector coupling constant $g_{v}$ is treated as a free parameter. We also consider that there is a split between the deconfinement and the chiral phase transitions which is controlled by changing the conventional value of the vacuum pressure $-\Omega_{0}$ in the NJL thermodynamic potential by $-\left(\Omega_{0}+\delta \Omega_{0}\right)$, being $\delta \Omega_{0}$ a free parameter. We analyze the mass-radius ($M$-$R$) relation in the case of rapid ($\tau \ll 1 \, \mathrm{ms}$) and slow ($\tau \gg 1 \, \mathrm{ms}$) conversions, being $\tau$ the reaction timescale. In the case of slow interface reactions we find $M$-$R$ curves with a cusp at the maximum mass point where a pure hadronic branch and a slow-stable hybrid star (SSHS) branch coincide. We find that the length of the slow-stable branch grows with the increase of the transition density and the energy density jump at the hadron-quark interface. We calculate the tidal deformabilities of SSHSs and analyse them in the light of the GW170817 event.

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C. Lenzi, G. Lugones and C. Vasquez
Wed, 5 Apr 23
7/62

Comments: 12 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Physical Review D

Nucleosynthesis and observation of the heaviest elements [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01850


The rapid neutron capture or ‘r process’ of nucleosynthesis is believed to be responsible for the production of approximately half the natural abundance of heavy elements found on the periodic table above iron (with proton number $Z=26$) and all of the heavy elements above bismuth ($Z=83$). In the course of creating the actinides and potentially superheavies, the r process must necessarily synthesize superheavy nuclei (those with extreme proton numbers, neutron numbers or both) far from isotopes accessible in the laboratory. Many questions about this process remain unanswered, such as ‘where in nature may this process occur?’ and ‘what are the heaviest species created by this process?’ In this review, we survey at a high level the nuclear properties relevant for the heaviest elements thought to be created in the r process. We provide a synopsis of the production and destruction mechanisms of these heavy species, in particular the actinides and superheavies, and discuss these heavy elements in relation to the astrophysical r process. We review the observational evidence of actinides found in the Solar system and in metal-poor stars and comment on the prospective of observing heavy-element production in explosive astrophysical events. Finally, we discuss the possibility that future observations and laboratory experiments will provide new information in understanding the production of the heaviest elements.

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E. Holmbeck, T. Sprouse and M. Mumpower
Wed, 5 Apr 23
19/62

Comments: 63 pages, 17 figures

The proto-neutron star inner crust in the liquid phase [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.01584


The crust of a neutron star is known to melt at a temperature that increases with increasing matter density, up to about $10^{10}$ K. At such high temperatures and beyond, the crustal ions are put into collective motion and the associated entropy contribution can affect both the thermodynamic properties and the composition of matter. We studied the importance of this effect in different thermodynamic conditions relevant to the inner crust of the proto-neutron star, both at beta equilibrium and in the fixed-proton-fraction regime. To this aim, we solved the hydrodynamic equations for an ion moving in an incompressible, irrotational, and non-viscous fluid, with different boundary conditions, thus leading to different prescriptions for the ion effective mass. We then employed a compressible liquid-drop approach in the one-component plasma approximation, including the renormalisation of the ion mass to account for the influence of the surrounding medium. We show that the cluster size is determined by the competition between the ion centre-of-mass motion and the interface properties, namely the Coulomb, surface, and curvature energies. In particular, including the translational free energy in the minimisation procedure can significantly reduce the optimal number of nucleons in the clusters and lead to an early dissolution of clusters in dense beta-equilibrated matter. On the other hand, we find that the impact of translational motion is reduced in scenarios where the proton fraction is assumed constant and is almost negligible on the inner-crust equation of state. Our results show that the translational degrees of freedom affect the equilibrium composition of beta-equilibrated matter and the density and pressure of the crust-core transition in a non-negligible way, highlighting the importance of its inclusion when modelling the finite-temperature inner crust of the (proto-)neutron star.

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H. Thi, A. Fantina and F. Gulminelli
Wed, 5 Apr 23
36/62

Comments: 14 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics

Polaronic Proton and Diproton Clustering in Neutron-Rich Matter [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2304.00535


We show that strong spin-triplet neutron-proton interaction causes polaronic protons to occur in neutron matter at subnuclear densities and nonzero temperature. As the neutron density increases, proton spectra exhibit a smooth crossover from a bare impurity to a repulsive polaron branch; this branch coexists with an attractive polaron branch. With the neutron density increased further, the attractive polarons become stable with respect to deuteron formation. For two adjacent protons, we find that the polaron effects and the neutron-mediated attraction are sufficient to induce a bound diproton, which leads possibly to diproton formation in the surface region of neutron-rich nuclei in laboratories as well as in neutron stars.

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H. Tajima, H. Moriya, W. Horiuchi, et. al.
Tue, 4 Apr 23
20/111

Comments: 6 pages, 4 figures (8 pages, 6 figures in the supplement)

Microscopic calculation of the pinning energy of a vortex in the inner crust of a neutron star [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.18151


The structure of a vortex in the inner crust of a pulsar is calculated microscopically in the Wigner-Seitz cell approximation, simulating the conditions of the inner crust of a cold, non-accreting neutron star, in which a lattice of nuclei coexists with a sea of superfluid neutrons. The calculation is based on the axially deformed Hartree-Fock-Bogolyubov framework, using effective interactions. The present work extends and improves previous studies in four ways: i) it allows for the axial deformation of protons induced by the large deformation of neutrons due to the appearance of vortices; ii) it includes the effect of Coulomb exchange; iii) considers the possible effects of the screening of the pairing interaction; and iv) it improves the numerical treatment. We also demonstrate that the binding energy of the nucleus-vortex system can be used as a proxy to the pinning energy of a vortex and discuss in which conditions this applies. From our results, we can estimate the mesoscopic pinning forces per unit length acting on vortices. We obtain values ranging between $10^{14}$ to $10^{16}$ dyn/cm, consistent with previous findings.

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P. Klausner, F. Barranco, P. Pizzochero, et. al.
Mon, 3 Apr 23
7/53

Comments: Paper submitted for publication

Theoretical and Experimental Constraints for the Equation of State of Dense and Hot Matter [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17021


This review aims at providing an extensive discussion of modern constraints relevant for dense and hot strongly interacting matter. It includes theoretical first-principle results from lattice and perturbative QCD, as well as chiral effective field theory results. From the experimental side, it includes heavy-ion collision and low-energy nuclear physics results, as well as observations from neutron stars and their mergers. The validity of different constraints, concerning specific conditions and ranges of applicability, is also provided.

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R. Kumar, V. Dexheimer, J. Jahan, et. al.
Fri, 31 Mar 23
20/70

Comments: N/A

A Deep Learning Approach to Extracting Nuclear Matter Properties from Neutron Star Observations [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17146


Understanding the equation of state of dense QCD matter remains a major challenge in both nuclear physics and astrophysics. Neutron star observations from electromagnetic and gravitational wave spectra provide critical insights into the behavior of dense neutron-rich matter. The next generation of telescopes and gravitational wave observatories will offer even more detailed observations of neutron stars. Utilizing deep learning techniques to map neutron star mass and radius observations to the equation of state allows for its accurate and reliable determination. This work demonstrates the feasibility of using deep learning to extract the equation of state directly from neutron star observational data, and to also obtain related nuclear matter properties such as the slope, curvature, and skewness of the nuclear symmetry energy at saturation density. Most importantly, we show that this deep learning approach is able to reconstruct \textit{realistic} equations of state, and deduce \textit{realistic} nuclear matter properties. This highlights the potential of artificial neural networks in providing a reliable and efficient means to extract crucial information about the equation of state and related properties of dense neutron-rich matter in the era of multi-messenger astrophysics.

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P. Krastev
Fri, 31 Mar 23
40/70

Comments: 22 pages, 12 figures, 4 tables. Invited article for Symmetry for the Special Issue “Symmetries and Ultra Dense Matter of Compact Stars”

Probing into the Possible Range of the U Bosonic Coupling Constants in Neutron Stars Containing Hyperons [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17106


The range of the U bosonic coupling constants in neutron star matter is a very interesting but still unsolved problem which has multifaceted influences in nuclear physics, particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology. The combination of the theoretical numerical simulation and the recent observations provides a very good opportunity to solve this problem. In the present work, the range of the U bosonic coupling constants is inferred based on the three relations of the mass-radius, mass-frequency and mass-tidal deformability in neutron star containing hyperons using the GM1, TM1 and NL3 parameter sets under the two flavor symmetries of the SU(6) and SU(3) in the framework of the relativistic mean field theory. Combined with observations from PSRs J1614-2230, J0348+0432, J2215-5135, J0952-0607, J0740+6620, J0030-0451, J1748-2446ad, XTE J1739-285, GW170817 and GW190814 events, our numerical results show that the U bosonic coupling constants may tend to be within the range from 0 to 20 GeV$^{-2}$ in neutron star containing hyperons. Moreover, the numerical results of the three relations obtained by the SU(3) symmetry are better in accordance with observation data than those obtained by the SU(6) symmetry. The results will help us to improve the strict constraints of the equation of state for neutron stars containing hyperons.

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Y. Xu, B. Diao, Y. Wang, et. al.
Fri, 31 Mar 23
54/70

Comments: 14pages,4figures

Constraining fundamental nuclear physics parameters using neutron star mass-radius measurements I: Nucleonic models [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.17518


Measurements of neutron star mass and radius or tidal deformability deliver unique insight into the equation of state (EOS) of cold dense matter. EOS inference is very often done using generalized parametric or non-parametric models which deliver no information on composition. In this paper we consider a microscopic nuclear EOS model based on a field theoretical approach. We show that current measurements from NICER and gravitational wave observations constrain primarily the symmetric nuclear matter EOS. We then explore what could be delivered by measurements of mass and radius at the level anticipated for future large-area X-ray timing telescopes. These should be able to place very strong limits on the symmetric nuclear matter EOS, in addition to constraining the nuclear symmetry energy that determines the proton fraction inside the neutron star.

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C. Huang, G. Raaijmakers, A. Watts, et. al.
Fri, 31 Mar 23
60/70

Comments: submitted to MNRAS

Dynamically screened strongly quantized electron transport in binary neutron-star merger [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.16811


We examine electron-transport coefficients in magnetized hot and dense electron-ion plasma relevant in binary neutron star merger simulation. We calculate electrical and thermal conductivities in low density, high temperature, highly magnetized plasma of binary neutron star mergers where quantum oscillatory behavior of electrons emerge. For pronounced thermodynamic effects, we consider zeroth Landau level population of electrons for the calculation of conductivity. We solve Boltzmann equation in presence of magnetic field to obtain the dissipative components of electrical and thermal conductivities. The dissipative coefficients are formulated considering frequency dependent dynamical screening in the quantized electron-ion scattering rate. Numerical estimations show that the effect of dynamical screening of photon propagator on electrical and thermal conductivities is pronounced. We observe that dynamical screening reduces the maxima of both the electrical and thermal conductivities by factors of thirty one and twenty respectively leading to a reduction in the corresponding time scales of these coefficients. The common scaling factor between electrical and thermal conductivity is also observed to follow cubic relationship with temperature violating Wiedemann-Franz law.

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S. Sarkar and S. Adhya
Thu, 30 Mar 23
10/66

Comments: Accepted in The European Physical Journal C. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2108.11878

The astrophysical $S-$factor and reaction rate for $^{15}$N($p,γ$)$^{16}$O within the modified potential cluster model [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.14680


We study a radiative $p^{15}$N capture on the ground state of $^{16}$O at stellar energies within the framework of a modified potential cluster model (MPCM) with forbidden states, including low lying resonances. The investigation of the $^{15}$N($p,\gamma $)$^{16}$O reaction includes the consideration of $^{3}S_{1}$ resonances due to $E1$ transitions and contribution of $^{3}P_{1}$ scattering wave in $p$ + $^{15}$N channel due to $^{3}P_{1}\longrightarrow $ $^{3}P_{0}$ $M1$ transition. We calculate the astrophysical low-energy $S-$factor and extrapolated $S(0)$ turned out to be within $34.7-40.4$ keV$\cdot $b. It is elucidated the important role of the asymptotic constant (AC) for the $^{15}$N($p,\gamma $)$^{16}$O process with interfering $^{3}S_{1}$(312) and $^{3}S_{1}$(962) resonances. A comparison of our calculation for $S-$factor with existing experimental and theoretical data is addressed and the reasonable agreement is found.
The reaction rate is calculated and compared with the existing rates. It has negligible dependence on the variation of AC, but shows strong impact of the interference of $^{3}S_{1}$(312) and $^{3}S_{1}$(962) resonances, especially at $T_{9}$ referring to the CNO Gamow windows. We present a stellar temperature dependence on the Gamow energy and a comparison of rates for radiative proton capture reactions for CNO cycle on nitrogen isotopes obtained in the framework of the MPCM and give temperature windows, prevalence, and significance of each process.

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S. Dubovichenko, N. Burkova, R. Kezerashvili, et. al.
Tue, 28 Mar 23
55/81

Comments: 15 pages, 8 figures

Exploring QCD matter in extreme conditions with Machine Learning [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.15136


In recent years, machine learning has emerged as a powerful computational tool and novel problem-solving perspective for physics, offering new avenues for studying strongly interacting QCD matter properties under extreme conditions. This review article aims to provide an overview of the current state of this intersection of fields, focusing on the application of machine learning to theoretical studies in high energy nuclear physics. It covers diverse aspects, including heavy ion collisions, lattice field theory, and neutron stars, and discuss how machine learning can be used to explore and facilitate the physics goals of understanding QCD matter. The review also provides a commonality overview from a methodology perspective, from data-driven perspective to physics-driven perspective. We conclude by discussing the challenges and future prospects of machine learning applications in high energy nuclear physics, also underscoring the importance of incorporating physics priors into the purely data-driven learning toolbox. This review highlights the critical role of machine learning as a valuable computational paradigm for advancing physics exploration in high energy nuclear physics.

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K. Zhou, L. Wang, L. Pang, et. al.
Tue, 28 Mar 23
59/81

Comments: 146 pages,53 figures

A tight universal relation between the shape eccentricity and the moment of inertia for rotating neutron stars [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.14130


Universal relations that are insensitive to the equation of state (EoS) are useful in reducing the parameter space when measuring global quantities of neutron stars (NSs). In this paper, we reveal a new universal relation that connects the eccentricity to the radius and moment of inertia of rotating NSs. We demonstrate that the universality of this relation holds for both conventional NSs and bare quark stars (QSs) in the slow rotation approximation, albeit with different relations. The maximum relative deviation is approximately $1\%$ for conventional NSs and $0.1\%$ for QSs. Additionally, we show that the universality still exists for fast-rotating NSs if we use the dimensionless spin to characterize their rotation. The new universal relation will be a valuable tool to reduce the number of parameters used to describe the shape and multipoles of rotating NSs, and it may also be used to infer the eccentricity or moment of inertia of NSs in future X-ray observations.

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Y. Gao, L. Shao and J. Steinhoff
Mon, 27 Mar 23
2/59

Comments: 6 pages, 4 figures

Neutron Skin Thickness Dependence of Astrophysical $S$-factor [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.12156


Background: The density dependence of nuclear symmetry energy is crucial in determining several properties of finite nuclei to the neutron stars with mass $\sim$ 1.4 $M_\odot$. The values of neutron skin thickness, isovector giant dipole resonances energies and various nuclear reaction cross-sections in asymmetric nuclei have been utilized to determine the slope of symmetry energy ($L_0$) at the saturation density. Recent PREX-II and CREX measurements of neutron skin thickness in $^{208}$Pb and $^{48}$Ca nuclei yield very different values of $L_0$ which overlap marginally within 90$\%$ confidence interval.
Purpose: Our objective is to demonstrate the role of symmetry energy on the sub-barrier fusion cross-section and the astrophysical $S$-factor for asymmetric nuclei.
Method: The nucleus nucleus potentials are generated using the double folding model (DFM) for three different nucleon-nucleon interactions. These DFM potentials are used for the calculation of the sub-barrier fusion cross-section and the astrophysical $S$-factor. The nucleon densities required for DFM potentials are generated from different families of non-relativistic and relativistic mean-field models which correspond to a wide range of neutron skin thickness or $L_0$.
Results: We have calculated the sub-barrier fusion cross-section for several asymmetric nuclei involving O, Ca, Ni, and Sn isotopes. The results are presented for the barrier parameters, cross-section, and astrophysical $S$-factor for $^{54}$Ca+$^{54}$Ca and $^{124}$Sn+$^{124}$Sn as a function of neutron skin thickness.
Conclusions: The cross-section for the neutron-rich nuclei show a strong dependence on the behavior of symmetry energy or the neutron skin thickness. The increase in skin thickness lowers the height of the barrier as well as its width which enhances the values of the $S$-factor by more than an order of magnitude.

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T. Ghosh, S. Sangeeta, G. Saxena, et. al.
Thu, 23 Mar 23
6/67

Comments: 8 pages, 7 figures

Strongly interacting matter exhibits deconfined behavior in massive neutron stars [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.11356


The inner cores of massive neutron stars contain strongly interacting matter at the highest densities reached in our Universe. Under these conditions the cores may undergo a phase transition to deconfined quark matter, which exhibits approximate conformal symmetry. Using a Bayesian inference setup that utilizes all available neutron-star measurements and state-of-the-art theoretical calculations, we demonstrate that in the cores of the most massive stars the equation of state is consistent with the presence of deconfined quark matter. We do this by (i) establishing an effective conformal symmetry restoration with 88% credence at the highest densities probed in these objects, and (ii) demonstrating that the number of active degrees of freedom favors an interpretation of this finding in terms of the presence of deconfined matter. The remaining probability for purely hadronic maximal-mass stars arises from equation-of-state behavior featuring small sound-speed and polytropic-index values, consistent with a first-order phase transition.

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E. Annala, T. Gorda, J. Hirvonen, et. al.
Wed, 22 Mar 23
39/68

Comments: 12 pages, 7 figures

On excess entropy and latent heat in crystallizing white dwarfs [SSA]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.11311


Based on the linear mixing approach, we calculate the latent heat for crystallizing fully-ionized $^{12}$C/$^{16}$O and $^{16}$O/$^{20}$Ne mixtures in white dwarf (WD) cores for two different parametrizations of the corrections to the linear-mixing energies and with account of ion quantum effects. We report noticeable composition-dependent deviations of the excess entropy in both directions from the standard value of 0.77 per ion. Within the same framework, we evaluate the excess entropy and released or absorbed heat accompanying the exsolution process in solidified WD layers. The inclusion of this effect is shown to be important for reliable interpretation of WD cooling data. We also analyze the latent heat of crystallizing eutectic $^{12}$C/$^{22}$Ne mixture, where we find a qualitative dependence of both the phase diagram and the latent heat behaviour on ion quantum effects. This may be important for the model with $^{22}$Ne distillation in cooling C/O/$^{22}$Ne WD proposed as a solution for the ultramassive WD multi-Gyr cooling anomaly. Astrophysical implications of our findings for crystallizing WD are discussed.

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D. Baiko
Tue, 21 Mar 23
15/68

Comments: 5 pages, 2 figures. Letter to MNRAS, in press

Revealing the strength of three-nucleon interactions with the Einstein Telescope [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.11201


Three-nucleon forces are crucial for the accurate description of nuclear systems, including dense matter probed in neutron stars. We explore nuclear Hamiltonians that reproduce two-nucleon scattering data and properties of light nuclei, but differ in the three-nucleon interactions among neutrons. While no significantly improved constraints can be obtained from current astrophysical data, we show that observations of neutron star mergers by next-generation detectors like the proposed Einstein Telescope could provide strong evidence to distinguish between these Hamiltonians.

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H. Rose, N. Kunert, T. Dietrich, et. al.
Tue, 21 Mar 23
17/68

Comments: N/A

Radial Oscillations in Neutron Stars with Delta Baryons [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2303.11006


We investigate the effect of $\Delta$ baryons on the radial oscillations of neutron and hyperon stars, employing the density-dependent relativistic mean-field model. The spin-$3/2$ baryons are described by the Rarita-Schwinger Lagrangian density. The baryon-meson coupling constants for the spin-3/2 decuplet and the spin-1/2 baryonic octet are calculated using a unified approach relying on the fact that the Yukawa couplings present in the Lagrangian density of the mean-field models must be invariant under the SU(3) and SU(6) group transformations. We calculate the 20 lowest eigenfrequencies and corresponding oscillation functions of $\Delta$-admixtured nuclear (N$\Delta$) and hyperonic matter (NH$\Delta$) by solving the Sturm-Liouville boundary value problem and also verifying its validity. We see that the lowest mode frequencies for N+$\Delta$ and N+H EoSs are higher as compared to the pure nucleonic matter because of the delta and hyperonic admixtures. Furthermore, the separation between consecutive modes increases with the addition of hyperons and $\Delta$s.

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I. Rather, K. Marquez, G. Panotopoulos, et. al.
Tue, 21 Mar 23
62/68

Comments: 11 pages, 8 figures, 3 tables, will be submitted to the journal in few days to allow for the comments

Bayesian inference of neutron-star observables based on effective nuclear interactions [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2301.07904


Based on the Skyrme-Hartree-Fock model (SHF) as well as its extension (the Korea-IBS-Daegu-SKKU (KIDS) model) and the relativistic mean-field (RMF) model, we have studied the constraints on the parameters of the nuclear matter equation of state (EOS) from adopted astrophysical observables using a Bayesian approach. While the masses and radii of neutron stars generally favors a stiff isoscalar EOS and a relatively soft nuclear symmetry energy, model dependence on the constraints is observed and mostly originates from the incorporation of higher-order EOS parameters and difference between relativistic and non-relativistic models. At twice saturation density, the value of the symmetry energy is constrained to be $48^{+15}{-11}$ MeV in the standard SHF model, $48^{+8}{-15}$ MeV in the KIDS model, and $48^{+5}_{-6}$ MeV in the RMF model, around their maximum {\it a posteriori} values within $68\%$ confidence intervals. Our study helps to obtain a robust constraint on nuclear matter EOS, and meanwhile, to understand the model dependence of the results.

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J. Zhou, J. Xu and P. Papakonstantinou
Fri, 20 Jan 23
19/72

Comments: 15 pages, 8 figures

Spanning the full range of neutron star properties within a microscopic description [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2301.08169


The high density behavior of nuclear matter is analyzed within a relativistic mean field description with non-linear meson interactions. To assess the model parameters and their output, a Bayesian inference technique is used. The Bayesian setup is limited only by a few nuclear saturation properties, the neutron star maximum mass larger than 2 M$\odot$, and the low-density pure neutron matter equation of state (EOS) produced by an accurate N$^3$LO calculation in chiral effective field theory. Depending on the strength of the non-linear scalar vector field contribution, we have found three distinct classes of EOSs, each one correlated to different star properties distributions. If the non-linear vector field contribution is absent, the gravitational maximum mass and the sound velocity at high densities are the greatest. However, it also gives the smallest speed of sound at densities below three times saturation density. On the other hand, models with the strongest non-linear vector field contribution, predict the largest radii and tidal deformabilities for 1.4 M$\odot$ stars, together with the smallest mass for the onset of the nucleonic direct Urca processes and the smallest central baryonic densities for the maximum mass configuration. These models have the largest speed of sound below three times saturation density, but the smallest at high densities, in particular, above four times saturation density the speed of sound decreases approaching approximately $\sqrt{0.4}c$ at the center of the maximum mass star. On the contrary, a weak non-linear vector contribution gives a monotonically increasing speed of sound. A 2.75 M$_\odot$ NS maximum mass was obtained in the tail of the posterior with a weak non-linear vector field interaction. This indicates that the secondary object in GW190814 could also be an NS.

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T. Malik, M. Ferreira and C. Providência
Fri, 20 Jan 23
40/72

Comments: (Submitted to PRD) 14 pages, 13 figures, supplemental material

The mass of charged pions in neutron star matter [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2301.07226


We examine the behavior of charged pions in neutron-rich matter using heavy-baryon chiral perturbation theory. This study is motivated by the prospect that pions, or pion-like, excitations, may be relevant in neutron-rich matter encountered in core-collapse supernovae and neutron star mergers. We find, as previously expected, that the $\pi^-$ mass increases with density and precludes s-wave condensation, and the mass of the $\pi^+$ mode decreases with increasing density. The energy difference between neutrons and protons in neutron-rich matter related to the nuclear symmetry energy alters the power counting. It enhances higher-order contributions to the pion self-energy. Previously unimportant but attractive diagrams are now enhanced. The net effect of this is the appearance of a new collective mode with the quantum numbers of the $\pi^+$, and a pronounced reduction of the $\pi^+$ mass.

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B. Fore, N. Kaiser, S. Reddy, et. al.
Thu, 19 Jan 23
22/100

Comments: 13 pages, 4 figures, 1 appendix

Revisiting the stability of strange-dwarf stars and strange planets [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2301.07654


The dynamical stability of strange-dwarf hybrid stars and strange planets, constituted by strange-quark-matter cores and dilute-nuclear-matter crusts, is revisited by analyzing the fundamental mode eigenfrequencies of the radial oscillation equations with non-trivial boundary conditions for slow and fast conversions characterizing distinct microphysical scales originating at the density-discontinuous interface. Our calculations indicate that in the case of rapid conversions the so-called {\it reaction mode} plays the fundamental role in these non-compact objects and allow their existence in nature. Interestingly, slow conversions display the same stability window as the seminal work of Glendenning-Kettner-Weber. The robustness of our findings is demonstrated for different transition densities and also using an equation of state from perturbative QCD for the ultra-dense core.

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V. Goncalves, J. Jimenez and L. Lazzari
Thu, 19 Jan 23
96/100

Comments: 6 pages, 3 figures

Many-body neutrino flavor entanglement in a simple dynamic model [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2301.07049


Dense neutrino gases form in extreme astrophysical sites, and the flavor content of the neutrinos likely has an important impact on the subsequent dynamical evolution of their environment. Through coherent forward scattering among neutrinos, the flavor content of the gas evolves under a time-dependent potential which can be modeled in a quantum many-body formalism as an all-to-all coupled spin-spin interaction. This two-body potential generically introduces entanglement and greatly complicates the study of these systems. In this work we study the evolution of the quantum many-body problem as well as the typically employed mean-field approximation to it for a small number of neutrinos ($N = 16$). We consider randomly chosen one- and two-body couplings in the Hamiltonian, and the resulting evolution of several initial product states. We subsequently compare many-body and mean-field predictions for one-body observables, and we consider one- and two-body entanglement to assess under what conditions the many-body and mean-field predictions are likely to disagree. Except for a special category of prototypical initial conditions, we find that the typically employed mean-field approximation is insufficient to capture the evolution of one-body operators in the systems we consider. We also observe a loss of coherence in one- and two-body trace-reduced subsystems which suggests that the evolution may be well approximated as a classical mixture of separable states.

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J. Martin, A. Roggero, H. Duan, et. al.
Wed, 18 Jan 23
36/133

Comments: 6 pages, 5 figures

Gravitational Waves from a Core g-Mode in Supernovae as Probes of the High-Density Equation of State [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2301.06515


Using relativistic supernova simulations of massive progenitor stars with a quark-hadron equation of state (EoS) and a purely hadronic EoS, we identify a distinctive feature in the gravitational-wave signal that originates from a buoyancy-driven mode (g-mode) below the proto-neutron star convection zone. The mode frequency lies in the range $200\lesssim f\lesssim 800\,\text{Hz}$ and decreases with time. As the mode lives in the core of the proto-neutron star, its frequency and power are highly sensitive to the EoS, in particular the sound speed around twice saturation density.

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P. Jakobus, B. Müller, A. Heger, et. al.
Wed, 18 Jan 23
67/133

Comments: Submitted to Physical Review Letters on January 17th

Constraints on Nuclear Symmetry Energy Parameters [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2301.03666


A review is made of constraints on the nuclear symmetry energy parameters arising from nuclear binding energy measurements, theoretical chiral effective field predictions of neutron matter properties, the unitary gas conjecture, and measurements of neutron skin thicknesses and dipole polarizabilities. While most studies have been confined to the parameters $S_V$ and $L$, the important roles played by, and constraints on $K_{\rm sym}$, or, equivalently, the neutron matter incompressibility $K_N$, are discussed. Strong correlations among $S_V, L$, and $K_{N}$ are found from both nuclear binding energies and neutron matter theory. However, these correlations somewhat differ in the two cases, and those from neutron matter theory have smaller uncertainties. To 68\% confidence, it is found from neutron matter theory that $S_V=32.0\pm1.1$ MeV, $L=51.9\pm7.9$ MeV and $K_N=152.2\pm38.1$ MeV. Theoretical predictions for neutron skin thickness and dipole polarizability measurements of the neutron-rich nuclei $^{48}$Ca, $^{120}$Sn, and $^{208}$Pb are compared to recent experimental measurements, most notably the CREX and PREX neutron skin experiments from Jefferson Laboratory. By themselves, PREX I+II measurements of $^{208}$Pb and CREX measurement of $^{48}$Ca suggest $L=121\pm47$ MeV and $L=-5\pm40$ MeV, respectively, to 68\% confidence. However, we show that nuclear interactions optimally satisfying both measurements imply $L=53\pm13$ MeV, nearly the range suggested by either nuclear mass measurements or neutron matter theory, and is also consistent with nuclear dipole polarizability measurements. This small parameter range implies $R_{1.4} = 11.6\pm1.0$ km and $\Lambda_{1.4} = 228^{+148}_{-90}$, which are consistent with NICER X-ray and LIGO/Virgo gravitational wave observations of neutron stars.

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J. Lattimer
Wed, 11 Jan 23
30/80

Comments: This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from The Modern Physics of Compact Stars and Relativistic Gravity 2021, Ed. Armen Sedrakian

Neutron stars in the context of $f(\mathbb{T},\CMcal{T})$ gravity [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2301.03067


In this work, we investigate the existence of neutron stars (NS) in the framework of $f(\mathbb{T},\CMcal{T})$ gravity, where $\mathbb{T}$ is the torsion tensor and $\CMcal{T}$ is the trace of the energy-momentum tensor. The hydrostatic equilibrium equations are obtained, however, with $p$ and $\rho$ quantities passed on by effective quantities $\Bar{p}$ and $\Bar{\rho}$, whose mass-radius diagrams are obtained using modern equations of state (EoS) of nuclear matter derived from relativistic mean field models and compared with the ones computed by the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff (TOV) equations. Substantial changes in the mass-radius profiles of NS are obtained even for small changes in the free parameter of this modified theory. The results indicate that the use of $f(\mathbb{T},\CMcal{T})$ gravity in the study of NS provides good results for the masses and radii of some important astrophysical objects, as for example, the low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) NGC 6397 and the pulsar of millisecond PSR J0740+6620. In addition, radii results inferred from the Lead Radius EXperiment (PREX-2) can also be described for certain parameter values.

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C. Mota, L. Santos, F. Silva, et. al.
Tue, 10 Jan 23
37/93

Comments: N/A

Quasi-equilibrium configurations of binary systems of dark matter admixed neutron stars [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2301.03568


Using an adapted version of the SGRID code, we construct for the first time consistent quasi-equilibrium configurations for a binary system consisting of two neutron stars in which each is admixed with dark matter. The stars are modelled as a system of two non-interacting fluids minimally coupled to gravity. For the fluid representing baryonic matter the SLy equation of state is used, whereas the second fluid, which corresponds to dark matter, is described using the equation of state of a degenerate Fermi gas. We consider two different scenarios for the distribution of the dark matter. In the first scenario the dark matter is confined to the core of the star, whereas in the second scenario the dark matter extends beyond the surface of the baryonic matter, forming a halo around the baryonic star. The presence of dark matter alters the star’s reaction to the companion’s tidal forces, which we investigate in terms of the coordinate deformation and mass shedding parameters. The constructed quasi-equilibrium configurations mark the first step towards consistent numerical-relativity simulations of dark matter admixed neutron star binaries.

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H. Rüter, V. Sagun, W. Tichy, et. al.
Tue, 10 Jan 23
54/93

Comments: 13 pages, 11 figures

Strange Stars within Bosonic and Fermionic Admixed Dark Matter [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2301.00567


In this work, we study dark matter (DM) admixed strange quark stars exploring the different possibilities about the nature of the DM and their effects on the macroscopic properties of strange stars, such as maximum masses, radii, as well as the dimensionless tidal parameter. We observe that the DM significantly affects the macroscopic properties that depend on the DM mass, type, and fraction inside the star.

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L. Lopes and H. Das
Tue, 3 Jan 23
13/49

Comments: 11 pages, 8 figures, 4 tables, comments welcome

Many-body collective neutrino oscillations: recent developments [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2301.00342


Neutrino flavor transformations in core-collapse supernovae and binary neutron star mergers represent a complex and unsolved problem that is integral to our understanding of the dynamics and nucleosynthesis in these environments. The high number densities of neutrinos present in these environments can engender various collective effects in neutrino flavor transformations, driven either by neutrino-neutrino coherent scattering, or in some cases, through collisional (incoherent) interactions. An ensemble of neutrinos undergoing coherent scattering among themselves is an interacting quantum many-body system — as such, there is a tantalising prospect of quantum entanglement developing between the neutrinos, which can leave imprints on their flavor evolution histories. Here, we seek to summarize recent progress that has been made towards understanding this phenomenon.

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A. Patwardhan, M. Cervia, E. Rrapaj, et. al.
Tue, 3 Jan 23
27/49

Comments: 16 pages, 1 figure. Matches version to appear in Springer Handbook of Nuclear Physics (minus stylistic edits)

Relativistic approach to the nuclear breathing mode [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.14766


Microscopic theory of the nuclear response based on the relativistic meson-nucleon Lagrangian is applied to the description of the isoscalar giant monopole resonance (ISGMR) in a variety of nuclear systems. It is shown that the inclusion of beyond-mean-field correlations of the quasiparticle-vibration coupling (qPVC) type in the leading approximation allows for a simultaneous realistic description of the ISGMR in nuclei of led, tin and nickel mass regions, which is difficult on the mean-field level. The calculations are based on the NL3* parametrization of the relativistic finite-range meson-nucleon Lagrangian, which, in combination with the qPVC, have consistently demonstrated the ability to reliably describe many other nuclear structure phenomena. Systematic ISGMR calculations for nickel isotopes help reveal the central role of its coupling to the low-energy quadrupole states in the placement of the ISGMR centroids.

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E. Litvinova
Mon, 2 Jan 23
4/44

Comments: N/A

Effect of color superconductivity on the mass of hybrid neutron stars in an effective model with pQCD asymptotics [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.14856


The effective cold quark matter model by Alford, Braby, Paris and Reddy (ABPR) is used as a tool for discussing the effect of the size of the pairing gap in three-flavor (CFL) quark matter on the maximum mass of hybrid neutron stars (NSs). This equation of state (EOS) has three parameters which we suggest to determine by comparison with a nonlocal NJL model of quark matter in the nonperturbative domain. We show that due to the momentum dependence of the pairing which is induced by the nonlocality of the interaction, the effective gap parameter in the EOS model is well approximated by a constant value depending on the diquark coupling strength in the NJL model Lagrangian. For the parameter $a_4=1-2\alpha_s/\pi$ a constant value below about \num{0.4} is needed to explain hybrid stars with ${\rm M}{\rm max} \gtrsim 2.0~{\rm M}\odot$, which would translate to an effective constant $\alpha_s\sim 1$. The matching point with a running coupling at the 1-loop $\beta$ function level is found to lie outside the range of chemical potentials accessible in NS interiors. A dictionary is provided for translating the free vector meson and diquark coupling parameters of the nlNJL model to those of the ABPR model that is equivalent in the nonperturbative domain but allows to quantify the transition to the asymptotic behaviour that is in accordance with perturbative QCD. We provide constraints on parameter sets that fulfill the $2~{\rm M}\odot$ mass constraint for hybrid NSs, as well as the low tidal deformability constraint from GW170817 by a softening of the EOS on the hybrid NS branch with an early onset of deconfinement at ${\rm M}{\rm onset}<1.4~{\rm M}_\odot$.

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D. Blaschke, U. Shukla, O. Ivanytskyi, et. al.
Mon, 2 Jan 23
43/44

Comments: 12 pages, 8 figures

Equation of state and speed of sound of isospin-asymmetric QCD on the lattice [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.14016


We determine the QCD equation of state at nonzero temperature in the presence of an isospin asymmetry between the light quark chemical potentials on the lattice. Our simulations employ $N_f=2+1$ flavors of dynamical staggered quarks at physical masses, using three different lattice spacings. The main results are based on a two-dimensional spline interpolation of the isospin density, from which all relevant quantities can be obtained analytically. In particular, we present results for the pressure, the interaction measure, the energy and entropy densities, as well as the speed of sound. Remarkably, the latter is found to exceed its ideal gas limit deep in the pion condensed phase, the first account of the violation of this limit in first principles QCD. Finally, we also compute the phase diagram in the temperature — isospin density plane for the first time. The data for all observables will be useful for the benchmarking of effective theories and low-energy models of QCD and are provided in ancillary files for simple reuse.

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B. Brandt, F. Cuteri and G. Endrodi
Thu, 29 Dec 22
28/47

Comments: 28 pages, 42 figures

Equation of state and speed of sound of isospin-asymmetric QCD on the lattice [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.14016


We determine the QCD equation of state at nonzero temperature in the presence of an isospin asymmetry between the light quark chemical potentials on the lattice. Our simulations employ $N_f=2+1$ flavors of dynamical staggered quarks at physical masses, using three different lattice spacings. The main results are based on a two-dimensional spline interpolation of the isospin density, from which all relevant quantities can be obtained analytically. In particular, we present results for the pressure, the interaction measure, the energy and entropy densities, as well as the speed of sound. Remarkably, the latter is found to exceed its ideal gas limit deep in the pion condensed phase, the first account of the violation of this limit in first principles QCD. Finally, we also compute the phase diagram in the temperature — isospin density plane for the first time. The data for all observables will be useful for the benchmarking of effective theories and low-energy models of QCD and are provided in ancillary files for simple reuse.

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B. Brandt, F. Cuteri and G. Endrodi
Thu, 29 Dec 22
37/47

Comments: 28 pages, 42 figures

Anisotropic electron transport in the nuclear pasta phase [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.11817


The presence of nuclear pasta is expected to modify the transport properties in the mantle of neutron stars. The non-spherical geometry of the pasta nuclear clusters leads to anisotropies in the collision frequencies, impacting the thermal and electrical conductivity. We derive analytical expressions for the anisotropic collision frequencies using the Boltzmann equation in the relaxation time approximation. The average parallel, perpendicular and Hall electrical conductivities are computed in the high-temperature regime above crustal melting, considering incoherent elastic electron-pasta scattering and randomly oriented pasta structures. Numerical values are obtained at different densities and temperatures by using the IUFSU parametrization of the non-linear Walecka model to determine the crustal structure. We find that the anisotropy of the collision frequencies grows with the length of the pasta structures and, independently of the magnetic field, the presence of rod and slab phases decreases the conductivity by more than one order of magnitude. Our numerical results indicate that, even if the pasta structures might survive above the crustal melting point, no strong anisotropies are to be expected in the conduction properties in this temperature regime, even in the presence of a very high magnetic field.

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M. Pelicer, M. Antonelli, D. Menezes, et. al.
Fri, 23 Dec 22
9/58

Comments: 15 pages, 12 figures

Neutron Star versus Neutral Star: On the 90th anniversary of Landau's publication in astrophysics [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.10887


In the late age of developing quantum mechanics, Lev Landau, one of the distinguished players, made great efforts to understand the nature of matter, even stellar matter, by applying the quantum theory. Ninety years ago, he published his idea of “neutron” star, which burst upon him during his visit over Europe in the previous year. The key point that motivated Landau to write the paper is to make a state with lower energy for “gigantic nucleus”, avoiding extremely high kinematic energy of electron gas due to the new Fermi-Dirac statistics focused hotly on at that time. Landau had no alternative but to neutronize/neutralize by “combining a proton and an electron”, as electron and proton were supposed to be elementary before the discovery of neutron. However, our understanding of the Nature has fundamentally improved today, and another way (i.e., strangeonization) could also embody neutralization and thus a low-energy state that Landau had in mind, which could further make unprecedented opportunities in this multi-messenger era of astronomy. Strangeon matter in “old” physics may impact dramatically on today’s physics, from compact stars initiated by Landau, to cosmic rays and dark matter. In this essay, we are making briefly the origin and development of neutron star concept to reform radically, to remember Landau’s substantial contribution in astrophysics and to recall those peculiar memories.

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R. Xu
Thu, 22 Dec 22
11/59

Comments: A contribition to IWARA2022

Non-strange quark stars within resummed QCD [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.11184


The recently developed resummation technique known as {\it renormalization group optimized perturbation theory} (RGOPT) is employed in the evaluation of the EoS describing non-strange cold quark matter at NLO. Inspired by recent investigations which suggest that stable quark matter can be made only of up and down quarks, the mass-radius relation for two flavor pure quark stars is evaluated and compared with the predictions from perturbative QCD (pQCD) at NNLO. This comparison explicitly shows that by being imbued with renormalization group properties, and a variational optimization procedure, the method allows for an efficient resummation of the perturbative series. Remarkably, when the renormalization scale is chosen so as to reproduce the mass of pulsar PSR J0740+6620, $M= 2.08\pm 0.07 M_\odot$, one obtains a mass-radius curve which also predicts quite accurate values for the masses and radii of pulsar PSR J0030+0451, and compact object HESS J1731-347. Moreover, the scale dependence of the EoS (and mass-radius relation) obtained with the RGOPT is greatly improved when compared to that of pQCD. This seminal application to the description of quark stars shows that the RGOPT represents a robust alternative to pQCD when describing compressed quark matter.

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T. Restrepo, C. Providência and M. Pinto
Thu, 22 Dec 22
30/59

Comments: 13 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables

Constraints on strong phase transitions in neutron stars [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.10576


We study current bounds on strong first-order phase transitions (PTs) along the equation of state (EOS) of dense strongly interacting matter in neutron stars, under the simplifying assumption that on either side of the PT the EOS can be approximated by a simple polytropic form. We construct a large ensemble of possible EOSs of this form, anchor them to chiral effective field theory calculations at nuclear density and perturbative QCD at high densities, and subject them to astrophysical constraints from high-mass pulsars and gravitational-wave observations. Within this setup, we find that a PT permits neutron-star solutions with larger radii, but only if the transition begins below twice nuclear saturation density. We also identify a large parameter space of allowed PTs currently unexplored by numerical-relativity studies. Additionally, we locate a small region of parameter space allowing twin-star solutions, though we find them to only marginally pass the current astrophysical constraints. Finally, we find that sizeable cores of high-density matter beyond the PT may be located in the centers of some stable neutron stars, primarily those with larger masses.

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T. Gorda, K. Hebeler, A. Kurkela, et. al.
Thu, 22 Dec 22
48/59

Comments: 10 pages, 10 figures

A systematic formulation of chiral anomalous magnetohydrodynamics [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.09757


We present a new way of deriving effective theories of dynamical electromagnetic fields in general media. It can be used to give a systematic formulation of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) with strong magnetic fields, including systems with chiral matter and Adler-Bell-Jackiw (ABJ) anomaly. We work in the regime in which velocity and temperature fluctuations can be neglected. The resulting chiral anomalous MHD incorporates and generalizes the chiral magnetic effect, the chiral separation effect, the chiral electric separation effect, as well as recently derived strong-field MHD, all in a single coherent framework. At linearized level, the theory predicts that the chiral magnetic wave survives strong dynamical magnetic fields, and predicts the wave velocity. We also introduce a simple, but solvable nonlinear model to explore the fate of the chiral instability.

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M. Landry and H. Liu
Wed, 21 Dec 22
3/81

Comments: 22 pages

g-mode Oscillations in Neutron Stars with Hyperons [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.09875


A common alternative to the standard assumption of nucleonic composition of matter in the interior of a neutron star is to include strange baryons, particularly hyperons. Any change in composition of the neutron star core has an effect on g-mode oscillations of neutron stars, through the compositional dependence of the equilibrium and adiabatic sound speeds. We study the core g-modes of a neutron star contaning hyperons, using a variety of relativistic mean field models of dense matter that satisfy observational constraints on global properties of neutron stars. Our selected models predict a sharp rise in the g-mode frequencies upon the onset of strange baryons. Should g-modes be observed in the near future, their frequency could be used to test the presence of hyperonic matter in the core of neutron stars.

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V. Tran, S. Ghosh, N. Lozano, et. al.
Wed, 21 Dec 22
10/81

Comments: 17 pages, 7 figures

Conformality and percolation threshold in neutron stars [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.10165


Speed of sound is given attention in multi-messenger astronomy as it encodes information of the dense matter equation of state. Recently the trace anomaly was proposed as a more informative quantity. In this work, we statistically determine the speed of sound and trace anomaly and show that they are driven to their conformal values at the centers of maximally massive neutron stars. We show that the local peak in the speed of sound can be associated with deconfinement along with percolation conditions in QCD matter.

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M. Marczenko, L. McLerran, K. Redlich, et. al.
Wed, 21 Dec 22
14/81

Comments: Contribution to the Proceedings of 15th Quark Confinement and the Hadron Spectrum (based on arXiv:2207.13059)

Towards an effective action for chiral magnetohydrodynamics [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.09787


We consider chiral magnetohydrodynamics, i.e. a finite-temperature system where an axial $U(1)$ current is not conserved due to an Adler-Bell-Jackiw anomaly saturated by the dynamical operator $F_{\mu\nu} \tilde{F}^{\mu\nu}$. We express this anomaly in terms of the 1-form symmetry associated with magnetic flux conservation and study its realization at finite temperature. We present Euclidean generating functional and dissipative action approaches to the dynamics and reproduce some aspects of chiral MHD phenomenology from an effective theory viewpoint, including the chiral separation and magnetic effects. We also discuss the construction of non-invertible axial symmetry defect operators in our formalism.

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A. Das, N. Iqbal and N. Poovuttikul
Wed, 21 Dec 22
73/81

Comments: revtex, 29+6 pages

Prospects for constraining twin stars with next-generation gravitational-wave detectors [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.09733


Neutron star equations of state with strong phase transitions may support twin stars, hybrid and hadronic stars with the same mass but different tidal deformabilities. The presence of twin stars in the population of merging neutron stars produces distinctive gaps in the joint distribution of binary tidal deformabilities and chirp masses. We analyze a simulated population of binary neutron star mergers recovered with a network of next-generation (XG) ground-based gravitational-wave detectors to determine how many observations are needed to infer, or rule out, the existence of twin stars. Using a hierarchical inference framework based on a simple parametric twin-star model, we find that a single week of XG observations may suffice to detect a tidal deformability difference of several hundred between twins and measure the mass scale at which twins occur to within a few percent. For less pronounced twins, XG observations will place a stringent upper bound on the tidal deformability difference.

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P. Landry and K. Chakravarti
Tue, 20 Dec 22
56/97

Comments: 13 pages, 12 figures, 1 table

Strong magnetic fields and pasta phases revisited [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.09355


In this work, we compute the structure and composition of the inner crust of a neutron star in the presence of a strong magnetic field, such as it can be found in magnetars. To determine the geometry and characteristics of the crust inhomogeneities, we consider the compressible liquid drop model, where surface and Coulomb terms are included in the variational equations, and we compare our results with previous calculations based on more approximate treatments. For the equation of state (EoS), we consider two non-linear relativistic mean-field models with different slopes of the symmetry energy, and we show that the extension of the inhomogeneous region inside the star core due to the magnetic field strongly depends on the behavior of the symmetry energy in the crustal EoS. Finally, we argue that the extended spinodal instability observed in previous calculations can be related to the presence of small amplitude density fluctuations in the magnetar outer core, rather than to a thicker solid crust. The compressible liquid drop model formalism, while in overall agreement with the previous calculations, leads to a systematic suppression of the metastable solutions, thus allowing a more precise estimation of the crust-core transition density and pressure, and therefore a better estimation of the crustal radius.

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L. Scurto, H. Pais and F. Gulminelli
Tue, 20 Dec 22
93/97

Comments: 11 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables. Submitted to Phys. Rev. D

Dynamics and Equation of State Dependencies of Relevance for Nucleosynthesis in Supernovae and Neutron Star Mergers [HEAP]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.07498


Neutron stars (NSs) and black holes (BHs) are born when the final collapse of the stellar core terminates the lives of stars more massive than about 9 Msun. This can trigger the powerful ejection of a large fraction of the star’s material in a core-collapse supernova (CCSN), whose extreme luminosity is energized by the decay of radioactive isotopes such as 56Ni and 56Co. When evolving in close binary systems, the compact relics of such infernal catastrophes spiral towards each other on orbits gradually decaying by gravitational-wave emission. Ultimately, the violent collision of the two components forms a more massive, rapidly spinning remnant, again accompanied by the ejection of considerable amounts of matter. These merger events can be observed by high-energy bursts of gamma rays with afterglows and electromagnetic transients called kilonovae, which radiate the energy released in radioactive decays of freshly assembled rapid neutron-capture elements. By means of their mass ejection and the nuclear and neutrino reactions taking place in the ejecta, both CCSNe and compact object mergers (COMs) are prominent sites of heavy-element nucleosynthesis and play a central role in the cosmic cycle of matter and the chemical enrichment history of galaxies. The nuclear equation of state (EoS) of NS matter, from neutron-rich to proton-dominated conditions and with temperatures ranging from about zero to ~100 MeV, is a crucial ingredient in these astrophysical phenomena. It determines their dynamical processes, their remnant properties even at the level of deciding between NS or BH, and the properties of the associated emission of neutrinos, whose interactions govern the thermodynamic conditions and the neutron-to-proton ratio for nucleosynthesis reactions in the innermost ejecta. This chapter discusses corresponding EoS dependent effects of relevance in CCSNe as well as COMs. (slightly abridged)

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H. Janka and A. Bauswein
Fri, 16 Dec 22
45/72

Comments: 96 pages, 23 figures; accepted for the Handbook of Nuclear Physics, eds. Isao Tanihata, Hiroshi Toki, Toshitaka Kajino

Bayesian Inference of the Dense Matter Equation of State built upon Covariant Density Functionals [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.07168


A modified version of the density dependent covariant density functional model proposed in [T. Malik, M. Ferreira, B. K. Agrawal and C. Provid\^encia, ApJ 930, 17 (2022)] is employed in a Bayesian analysis to determine the equation of state (EOS) of dense matter with nucleonic degrees of freedom. Various constraints from nuclear physics and microscopic calculations of pure neutron matter (PNM) along with a lower bound on the maximum mass of neutron stars (NSs) are imposed on the EOS models to investigate the effectiveness of progressive incorporation of the constraints, their compatibility as well as correlations among parameters of nuclear matter and properties of NSs. Our results include the different roles played by pressure and energy per particle of PNM in constraining the isovector behavior of nuclear matter; tension with the values of Dirac effective mass extracted from spin-orbit splitting; correlations between the radius of the canonical mass NS and second and third order coefficients in the Taylor expansion of energy per particle as a function of density; correlation between the central pressure of the maximum mass configuration and Dirac effective mass of the nucleon at saturation. For some of our models the tail of the NS maximum mass reaches $2.7~\mathrm{M}_{\odot}$, which means that the secondary object in GW190814 could have been a NS.

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M. Beznogov and A. Raduta
Thu, 15 Dec 22
55/75

Comments: 20 pages, 10 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. C

Alpha decay of thermally excited nuclei [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.03983


One of the prominent decay modes of heavy nuclei which are produced in astrophysical environments at temperatures of the order of $10^9$ K is the $\alpha$ ($^4$He) decay. Thermally enhanced $\alpha$ decay rates are evaluated within the standard scheme of a tunneling decay where the $\alpha$ particle tunnels through the potential barrier formed by its interaction with the daughter nucleus. Following the observation that there exist several excited levels with the possibility of an $\alpha$ decay when the daughter nucleus is at a shell closure, we focus in particular on decays producing daughter nuclei with the neutron number, N = 126. Within a statistical approach we find that the half-lives, $t_{1/2}(T)$, for temperatures ranging from $T$ = 0 to 2.4 GK can decrease by 1 – 2 orders of magnitude with the exception of the decay of $^{212}$Po which decays to the doubly magic daughter $^{208}$Pb, where $t_{1/2}(T)$ decreases by 5 orders of magnitude. The effect of these thermally enhanced $\alpha$ decays on the $r$-process nucleosynthesis can be significant in view of the mass build up at the waiting point nuclei with closed neutron shells.

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J. Velasquez, O. Caballero and N. Kelkar
Fri, 9 Dec 22
34/75

Comments: 18 pages, 1 figure

Understanding globular cluster abundances through nuclear reactions [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.03648


Globular clusters contain multiple stellar populations, with some previous generation of stars polluting the current stars with heavier elements. Understanding the history of globular clusters is helpful in understanding how galaxies merged and evolved and therefore constraining the site or sites of this historic pollution is a priority. The acceptable temperature and density conditions of these polluting sites depend on critical reaction rates. In this paper, three experimental studies helping to constrain astrophysically important reaction rates are briefly discussed.

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P. Adsley, M. Williams, D. Harrouz, et. al.
Thu, 8 Dec 22
23/63

Comments: Submission to conference proceedings of INPC2022 in Cape Town

Collisional flavor instability in dense neutrino gases [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.03750


Charged-current neutrino processes such as $\nu_e + n \rightleftharpoons p + e^-$ and $\bar\nu_e + p \rightleftharpoons n + e^+$ destroy the flavor coherence among the weak-interaction states of a single neutrino and thus damp its flavor oscillation. In a dense neutrino gas such as that inside a core-collapse supernova or the black hole accretion disk formed in a compact binary merger, however, these “collision” processes can trigger large flavor conversion in cooperation with the strong neutrino-neutrino refraction. We show that there exist two types of collisional flavor instability in a homogeneous and isotropic neutrino gas which are identified by the dependence of their real frequencies on the neutrino density $n_\nu$. The instability transitions from one type to the other and exhibits a resonance-like behavior in the region where the net electron lepton number of the neutrino gas is negligible. In the transition region, the flavor instability grows exponentially at a rate $\propto n_\nu^{1/2}$. We find that the neutrino gas in the black hole accretion disk is susceptible to the collision-induced flavor conversion where the neutrino densities are the highest. As a result, large amounts of heavy-lepton flavor neutrinos can be produced through flavor conversion, which can have important ramifications in the subsequent evolution of the remnant.

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Z. Xiong, L. Johns, M. Wu, et. al.
Thu, 8 Dec 22
33/63

Comments: 6 pages, 3 figures

Effects of the hyperon interaction on the properties of hybrid stars and their nonradial oscillation modes [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.02273


The properties of neutron stars are studied in a composite model of the strong interaction. In the regime of low to medium baryonic densities a covariant hadronic model is adopted which includes an effective hyperon-hyperon vertex. The presence of free quarks in the core of the star is considered by using the Nambu-Jona Lasinio model supplemented with a vector interaction. The deconfinement process is described by a continuous coexistence of phases. Several structure parameters of neutron stars, such as mass-radius relation, moment of inertia, tidal deformability, and the propagation of nonradial f and g-modes within the relativistic Cowling approximation are studied. The predictions of the model are in good agreement with recent observational data.

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R. Aguirre
Tue, 6 Dec 22
21/87

Comments: 31 pages, 9 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2204.05221

Progress in Nuclear Astrophysics: a multi-disciplinary field with still many open questions [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.02156


Nuclear astrophysics is a multi-disciplinary field with a huge demand for nuclear data. Among its various fields, stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis are clearly the most closely related to nuclear physics. The need for nuclear data for astrophysics applications challenges experimental techniques as well as the robustness and predictive power of present nuclear models. Despite impressive progress for the last years, major problems and puzzles remain. In the present contribution, only a few nuclear astrophysics specific aspects are discussed. These concern some experimental progress related to the measurement of key reactions of relevance for the so-called s-and p-processes of nucleosynthesis, the theoretical effort in predicting nuclear properties of exotic neutron-rich nuclei of interest for the r-process nucleosynthesis, and the recent introduction of machine learning techniques in nuclear astrophysics applications.

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S. Goriely, A. Choplin, W. Ryssens, et. al.
Tue, 6 Dec 22
80/87

Comments: 8 pages, 4 figures; Contribution to the proceedings of INPC 2022, Cape Town, South Africa

Hybrid stars with large strange quark cores [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.01132


The possible existence of hybrid stars is studied using several multi-quark interaction channels. The hadronic phase consists of an equation of state (EoS) with presently accepted nuclear matter properties and the quark model is constrained by the vacuum properties of several light mesons. The dependence of several NS properties on the different quark interactions is analyzed. We show that the present constraints from neutron star observations allow for the existence of hybrid stars with large strangeness content and large quark cores.

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M. Ferreira, R. Pereira and C. Providência
Mon, 5 Dec 22
19/63

Comments: 6 pages, 5 figures; Proceedings of the XVth Quark Confinement and the Hadron Spectrum conference, August 1st – 6th, 2022, University of Stavanger, Norway

Heavy Baryons in Compact Stars [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.01086


We review the physics of hyperons and $\Delta$-resonances in the dense matter in compact stars. The covariant density functional approach to the equation of state and composition of dense nuclear matter in the mean-field Hartree and Hartree-Fock approximation is presented, with regimes covering cold $\beta$-equilibrated matter, hot and dense matter with and without neutrinos relevant for the description of supernovas and binary neutron star mergers, as well as dilute expanding nuclear matter in collision experiments. We discuss the static properties of compact stars with hyperons $\Delta$-resonances in light of constraints placed in recent years by the multimessenger astrophysics of compact stars on the compact stars’ masses, radii, and tidal deformabilities. The effects of kaon condensation and strong magnetic fields on the composition of hypernuclear stars are also discussed. The properties of rapidly rotating compact hypernuclear stars are discussed and confronted with the observations of 2.5-2.8 solar mass compact objects found in gravitational wave events. We further discuss the cooling of hypernuclear stars, neutrino emission mechanisms hyperonic pairing, and the mass hierarchy in the cooling curves that arise due to the onset of hyperons. The effects of hyperons and $\Delta$-resonances on the equation of state of hot nuclear matter in the dense regime, relevant for the transient astrophysical event and in the dilute regime relevant to the collider physics is discussed. The review closes with a discussion of universal relations among the integral parameters of hot and cold hypernuclear stars and their implications for the analysis of binary neutron star merger events.

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A. Sedrakian, J. Li and F. Weber
Mon, 5 Dec 22
26/63

Comments: 76 pages, 26 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2105.14050

Astrophysical S(0)-Factors For The $d(α, γ)^{6}{\rm Li}$, $^{3}{\rm He}(α, γ)^{7}{\rm Be}$ and $^{3}{\rm H}(α, γ)^{7}{\rm Li}$ Direct Capture Processes In A Potential Model [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2212.00318


Astrophysical S-factors at zero energy for the direct nuclear capture reactions $d(\alpha, \gamma)^{6}{\rm Li}$, $^{3}{\rm He}(\alpha, \gamma)^{7}{\rm Be}$ and $^{3}{\rm H}(\alpha, \gamma)^{7}{\rm Li}$ are estimated within the framework of two-body potential cluster model on the basis of extranuclear capture approximation of D. Baye and E. Brainis. The values of S(0)-factors have been calculated using two different potential models for each process, which were adjusted to the binding energies and empirical values of the asymptotical normalization coefficients from the literature. New values of S(0)-factors have been obtained.

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S. A.Turakulov and E. M.Tursunov
Fri, 2 Dec 22
34/81

Comments: 6 pages

FRG Approach to Nuclear Matter at Extreme Conditions [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/1510.04906


Functional renormalization group (FRG) is an exact method for taking into account the effect of quantum fluctuations in the effective action of the system. The FRG method applied to effective theories of nuclear matter yields equation of state which incorporates quantum fluctuations of the fields. Using the local potential approximation (LPA) the equation of state for Walecka-type models of nuclear matter under extreme conditions could be determined. These models can be tested by solving the corresponding Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkov (TOV) equations and investigating the properties (mass and radius) of the corresponding compact star models. Here, we present the first steps on this way, we obtained a Maxwell construction within the FRG-based framework using a Walecka-type Lagrangian.

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P. Pósfay, G. Barnaföldi and A. Jakovác
Thu, 1 Dec 22
35/85

Comments: 6 pages, 3 figures

The baryon coupling scheme in an unified SU(3) and SU(6) symmetry formalism [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2211.17153


We calculate the baryon-meson coupling constants for the spin-1/2 baryonic octet and spin-3/2 decuplet in a unified approach relying on symmetry arguments such as the fact that the Yukawa couplings, present in the Lagrangian density of the Walecka-type models, must be an invariant under SU(3) and SU(6) group transformations. The coupling constants of the baryon with the scalar $\sigma$ meson are fixed to reproduce the known potential depths for the hyperons and $\Delta$ resonances, in an approach that can be extended to all particles. We then apply the calculated coupling constants to study neutron star matter with hyperons and deltas admixed to its composition. We conclude that the $\Delta^-$ is by far the most important exotic particle that can be present in the neutron star interior. It is always present, independent of the chosen parameterization, and might appear in almost every known neutron star, once its onset happens at very low density. Yet, its presence affects the astrophysical properties of the canonical 1.4 M$_\odot$ star, and, in some cases, it can even contribute to an increase in the maximum mass reached.

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L. Lopes, K. Marquez and D. Menezes
Thu, 1 Dec 22
41/85

Comments: 16 pages, 11 figures, 5 tables

The effect of quantum fluctuations in compact star observables [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/1710.05410


Astrophysical measurements regarding compact stars are just ahead of a big evolution jump, since the NICER experiment deployed on ISS on 14 June 2017. This will soon provide data that would enable the determination of compact star radius with less than 10% error. This poses new challenges for nuclear models aiming to explain the structure of super dense nuclear matter found in neutron stars.
Detailed studies of the QCD phase diagram shows the importance of bosonic quantum fluctuations in the cold dense matter equation of state. Here, we using a demonstrative model to show the effect of bosonic quantum fluctuations on compact star observables such as mass, radius, and compactness. We have also calculated the difference in the value of compressibility which is caused by quantum fluctuations.
The above mentioned quantities are calculated in mean field, one-loop and in high order many-loop approximation. The results show that the magnitude of these effects is ~5%, which place it into the region where forthcoming high-accuracy measurements may detect it.

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P. Pósfay, G. Barnaföldi and A. Jakovác
Thu, 1 Dec 22
59/85

Comments: 6 pages 4 figues, minor corrections were added

Freezing-In Gravitational Waves [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2211.16513


The thermal plasma in the early universe produced a stochastic gravitational wave (GW) background, which peaks today in the microwave regime and was dubbed the cosmic gravitational microwave background (CGMB). In previous works only single graviton production processes that contribute to the CGMB have been considered. Here we also investigate graviton pair production processes and show that these can lead to a significant contribution if the maximum temperature of the universe in units of Planck mass divided by the internal coupling in the heat bath is large enough. As the dark matter freeze-in production mechanism is conceptually very similar to the GW production mechanism from the primordial thermal plasma, we refer to the latter as “GW freeze-in production”. We also show that quantum gravity effects arising in single graviton production are smaller than the leading order result by a factor of the square of the ratio between the maximum temperature and the Planck mass. In our work we explicitly compute the CGMB spectrum within a scalar model with quartic interaction.

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J. Ghiglieri, J. Schütte-Engel and E. Speranza
Thu, 1 Dec 22
82/85

Comments: 18 pages, 6 figures

Effective chiral magnetic effect from neutrino radiation [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2211.14465


We develop an approach to chiral kinetic theories for electrons close to equilibrium and neutrinos away from equilibrium based on a systematic power counting scheme for different time scales of electromagnetic and weak interactions. Under this framework, we derive electric and energy currents along magnetic fields induced by neutrino radiation in general nonequilibrium states. This may be regarded as an effective chiral magnetic effect (CME), which is present without a chiral chemical potential, unlike the conventional CME. We also consider the so-called gain region of core-collapse supernovae as an example and find that the effective CME enhanced by persistent neutrino emission in time is sufficiently large to lead to the inverse cascade of magnetic and fluid kinetic energies and observed magnitudes of pulsar kicks. Our framework may also be applicable to other dense-matter systems involving nonequilibrium neutrinos.

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N. Yamamoto and D. Yang
Tue, 29 Nov 22
74/80

Comments: 6 pages, 1 figure

Density-Induced Hadron-Quark Crossover via the Formation of Cooper Triples [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2211.14194


We discuss the hadron-quark crossover accompanied by the formation of Cooper triples (three-body counterpart of Cooper pairs), by analogy with the Bose-Einstein condensate to Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer crossover in two-component fermionic systems. Such a crossover is different from a phase transition, which often involves symmetry breaking. We calculate the in-medium three-body energy from the three-body $T$-matrix with a phenomenological three-body force characterizing a bound hadronic state in vacuum. With increasing density, the hadronic bound-state pole smoothly undergoes a crossover toward the Cooper triple phase where the in-medium three-body clusters coexist with the quark Fermi sea.

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H. Tajima, S. Tsutsui, T. Doi, et. al.
Mon, 28 Nov 22
48/93

Comments: 7 pages, 3 figures

Do short range correlations inhibit the appearance of the nuclear pasta? [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2211.14002


It is well known that strongly correlated neutron-proton pairs, the short-range correlations (SRC), can modify many of the nuclear properties. In this work we have introduced, for the first time, short range correlations in the calculation of the nuclear pasta phase at zero temperature and checked how they affect its size and internal structure. We have used two different parameterizations of relativistic models in a mean field approximation and the coexistence phase approximation as a first estimation of the effects. We have seen that for very asymmetric neutron-proton-electon matter, the pasta phase shrinks considerably as compared with the results without SRC and all internal structures vanish, except the simple spherically symmetric one, the droplets. Our results indicate a possible disappearance of these complicated structures as the temperature increases.

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M. Pelicer, D. Menezes, M. Dutra, et. al.
Mon, 28 Nov 22
73/93

Comments: 4 pages, 4 figures

Early deconfinement of asymptotically conformal color-superconducting quark matter in neutron stars [CL]

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http://arxiv.org/abs/2211.12730


We present a relativistic density functional approach to color superconducting quark matter that mimics quark confinement by a fast growth of the quasiparticle selfenergy in the confining region. The approach is shown to be equivalent to a chiral model of quark matter with medium dependent couplings. While the (pseudo)scalar sector of the model is fitted to the vacuum phenomenology of quantum chromodynamics, the strength of interaction in the vector and diquark channels is varied in order to provide the best agreement with the observational constraints on the mass-radius relation and tidal deformability of neutron stars modelled with our approach. In order to recover the conformal behavior of quark matter at asymptotically high densities we introduce a medium dependence of the vector and diquark couplings motivated by the nonperturbative gluon exchange. Our analysis signals that the onset of deconfinement to color superconducting quark matter is likely to occur in neutron stars with masses below 1.0 $M_\odot$.

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O. Ivanytskyi, D. Blaschke, T. Fischer, et. al.
Thu, 24 Nov 22
14/71

Comments: 8 pages, 4 figuures, Contribution to Proceedings of Quark Confinement and the Hadron Spectrum XV, August 1-6, 2022, Stavanger, Norway