Physics – Nuclear Physics – Nuclear Theory
Scientific paper
2002-11-06
Astrophys.J. 593 (2003) 463-471
Physics
Nuclear Physics
Nuclear Theory
9 pages and 5 eps. figures (included)
Scientific paper
10.1086/376515
Neutron-star radii provide useful information on the equation of state of neutron rich matter. Particularly interesting is the density dependence of the equation of state (EOS). For example, the softening of the EOS at high density, where the pressure rises slower than anticipated, could signal a transition to an exotic phase. However, extracting the density dependence of the EOS requires measuring the radii of neutron stars for a broad range of masses. A ``normal'' 1.4 solar mass neutron star has a central density of a few times nuclear-matter saturation density. In contrast, low mass (of the order of 0.5 solar masses) neutron stars have central densities near nuclear-matter saturation density so its radius provides information on the EOS at low density. Unfortunately, low-mass stars are rare because they may be hard to form. Instead, a precision measurement of nuclear radii on atomic nuclei may contain similar information. Indeed, we find a strong correlation between the neutron radius of 208Pb and the radius of a 0.5 solar-mass neutron star. Thus, the radius of such a neutron star can be inferred from a measurement of the the neutron radius of 208Pb. Comparing this value to the measured radius of a 1.4 solar-mass neutron star should provide the strongest constraint to date on the density dependence of the equation of state.
Carriere Josef
Horowitz Charles J.
Piekarewicz Jorge
No associations
LandOfFree
Low Mass Neutron Stars and the Equation of State of Dense Matter does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Low Mass Neutron Stars and the Equation of State of Dense Matter, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Low Mass Neutron Stars and the Equation of State of Dense Matter will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-448529