Formation of Nuclear "Pasta" in Supernovae

Abstract

In supernova cores, nuclear "pasta" phases such as triangular lattice of rod-like nuclei and layered structure of slab-like nuclei are considered to exist. However, it is still unclear whether or not they are actually formed in collapsing supernova cores. Using {\it ab-initio} numerical simulations called the Quantum Molecular Dynamics (QMD), we here solve this problem by demonstrating that a lattice of rod-like nuclei is formed from a bcc lattice by compression. We also find that, in the transition process, the system undergoes zigzag configuration of elongated nuclei, which are formed by a fusion of two original spherical nuclei.

4 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. Lett. as an Editors' Suggestion

References in corpus (6)

• Theory of Core-Collapse Supernovae
• Simulation of Transitions between "Pasta" Phases in Dense Matter
• The pasta phase within density dependent hadronic models
• Impact of nuclear "pasta" on neutrino transport in collapsing stellar cores
• Nuclei embedded in an electron gas
• A New Study of the Transition to Uniform Nuclear Matter in Neutron Stars and Supernovae