Neutron star properties and the symmetry energy

Abstract

The effect of the symmetry energy on the properties of compact stars is discussed. It is shown that, for stars with masses above 1 $M_{\odot }$, the radius of the star varies linearly with the symmetry energy slope $L$. The dependence of the hyperon content and onset density of the direct Urca process on the symmetry energy and meson coupling parametrization are also analyzed.

12 pages, 20 figures, submitted to Phyical Review C