Symmetry energy: nuclear masses and neutron stars

Abstract

We describe the main features of our most recent Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov nuclear mass models, based on 16-parameter generalized Skyrme forces. They have been fitted to the data of the 2012 Atomic Mass Evaluation, and favour a value of 30 MeV for the symmetry coefficient J, the corresponding root-mean square deviation being 0.549 MeV. We find that this conclusion is compatible with measurements of neutron-skin thickness. By constraining the underlying interactions to fit various equations of state of neutron matter calculated {\it ab initio} our models are well adapted to a realistic and unified treatment of all regions of neutron stars. We use our models to calculate the composition, the equation of state, the mass-radius relation and the maximum mass. Comparison with observations of neutron stars again favours a value of J = 30 MeV.

10 pages, 9 figures, to appear in EPJA special volume on symmetry energy

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• Towards Understanding Astrophysical Effects of Nuclear Symmetry Energy
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• Combined Constraints on the Equation of State of Dense Neutron-Rich Matter from Terrestrial Experiments and Observations of Neutron Stars
• Strong correlations of neutron star radii with the slopes of nuclear matter incompressibility and symmetry energy at saturation
• Covariant energy density functionals: nuclear matter constraints and global ground state properties
• How tightly is nuclear symmetry energy constrained by unitary Fermi gas?
• Relativistic Mean-Field Models with Scaled Hadron Masses and Couplings: Hyperons and Maximum Neutron Star Mass
• Giant Pulsar Glitches and the Inertia of Neutron-Star Crusts
• Crustal heating in accreting neutron stars from the nuclear energy-density functional theory. I. Proton shell effects and neutron-matter constraint
• Crystallization of the inner crust of a neutron star and the influence of shell effects
• Liquid-gas coexistence vs. energy minimization with respect to the density profile in the inhomogeneous inner crust of neutron stars
• Light Clusters and Pasta Phases in Warm and Dense Nuclear Matter
• Modification of magicity towards the dripline and its impact on electron-capture rates for stellar core-collapse
• Electron exchange and polarization effects on electron captures and neutron emissions by nuclei in white dwarfs and neutron stars
• New formulae for the $(-2)$ moment of the photo-absorption cross section, ${\sigma }_{{}_{-2}}$
• Role of the symmetry energy on the neutron-drip transition in accreting and nonaccreting neutron stars
• Thermal Mass limit of Neutron Cores
• Constraints on neutron skin thickness in 208Pb and density-dependent symmetry energy
• Experimental study of the ${}^{40,48}$Ca+ ${}^{40,48}$Ca reactions at 35 MeV/nucleon
• Aspects of approximation in modelling of the symmetry energy
• Characterization of the inner edge of the neutron star crust
• Enhanced symmetry energy bears universality of the r-process