Isospin-dependent clusterization of Neutron-Star Matter

C. Ducoin (1) , P. Chomaz (2) , F. Gulminelli (1)

1 LPCC - Laboratoire de physique corpusculaire de Caen
2 GANIL - Grand Accélérateur National d'Ions Lourds

Because of the presence of a liquid-gas phase transition in nuclear matter, compact-star matter can present a region of instability against the formation of clusters. We investigate this phase separation in a matter composed of neutrons, protons and electrons, within a Skyrme-Lyon mean-field approach. Matter instability and phase properties are characterized through the study of the free-energy curvature. The effect of beta-equilibrium is also analyzed in detail, and we show that the opacity to neutrinos has an influence on the presence of clusterized matter in finite-temperature proto-neutron stars.

Mots clés: matter clusterization; liquid-gas phase transition; star matter; nuclear matter

Domaines: Physique Nucléaire Théorique [nucl-th]; Cosmologie et astrophysique extra-galactique [astro-ph.CO]; Astrophysique [astro-ph]

C. Ducoin, P. Chomaz, F. Gulminelli. Isospin-dependent clusterization of Neutron-Star Matter. Nuclear Physics A, 2007, 789, pp.403-425. ⟨10.1016/j.nuclphysa.2007.03.006⟩. ⟨hal-00119539v2⟩