31 research outputs found
Symmetry energy impact in simulations of core-collapse supernovae
We present a review of a broad selection of nuclear matter equations of state
(EOSs) applicable in core-collapse supernova studies. The large variety of
nuclear matter properties, such as the symmetry energy, which are covered by
these EOSs leads to distinct outcomes in supernova simulations. Many of the
currently used EOS models can be ruled out by nuclear experiments, nuclear
many-body calculations, and observations of neutron stars. In particular the
two classical supernova EOS describe neutron matter poorly. Nevertheless, we
explore their impact in supernova simulations since they are commonly used in
astrophysics. They serve as extremely soft and stiff representative nuclear
models. The corresponding supernova simulations represent two extreme cases,
e.g., with respect to the protoneutron star (PNS) compactness and shock
evolution. Moreover, in multi-dimensional supernova simulations EOS differences
have a strong effect on the explosion dynamics. Because of the extreme
behaviors of the classical supernova EOSs we also include DD2, a relativistic
mean field EOS with density-dependent couplings, which is in satisfactory
agreement with many current nuclear and observational constraints. This is the
first time that DD2 is applied to supernova simulations and compared with the
classical supernova EOS. We find that the overall behaviour of the latter EOS
in supernova simulations lies in between the two extreme classical EOSs. As
pointed out in previous studies, we confirm the impact of the symmetry energy
on the electron fraction. Furthermore, we find that the symmetry energy becomes
less important during the post bounce evolution, where conversely the symmetric
part of the EOS becomes increasingly dominating, which is related to the high
temperatures obtained. Moreover, we study the possible impact of quark matter
at high densities and light nuclear clusters at low and intermediate densComment: 19 pages, 13 figures, submitted to EPJA special volume on symmetry
energ
Implications for compact stars of a soft nuclear equation of state from heavy-ion data
We study the implications on compact star properties of a soft nuclear equation of state determined from kaon production at subthreshold energies in heavy-ion collisions. On one hand, we apply these results to study radii and moments of inertia of light neutron stars. Heavy-ion data provides constraints on nuclear matter at densities relevant for those stars and, in particular, to the density dependence of the symmetry energy of nuclear matter. On the other hand, we derive a limit for the highest allowed neutron star mass of three solar masses. For that purpouse, we use the information on the nucleon potential obtained from the analysis of the heavy-ion data combined with causality on the nuclear equation of state
Is there Quark Matter in (Low-Mass) Pulsars?
The effect of the QCD phase transition is studied for the mass-radius
relation of compact stars and for hot and dense matter at a given proton
fraction used as input in core-collapse supernova simulations. The phase
transitions to the 2SC and CFL color superconducting phases lead to stable
hybrid star configurations with a pure quark matter core. In supernova
explosions quark matter could be easily produced due to -equilibrium,
small proton fractions and nonvanishing temperatures. A low critical density
for the phase transition to quark matter is compatible with present pulsar mass
measurements.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, talk given at the QM2008 conference, Jaipur,
India, February 4-10, 2008, JPG in pres
Detecting the QCD phase transition in the next Galactic supernova neutrino burst
Predictions of the thermodynamic conditions for phase transitions at high
baryon densities and large chemical potentials are currently uncertain and
largely phenomenological. Neutrino observations of core-collapse supernovae can
be used to constrain the situation. Recent simulations of stellar core collapse
that include a description of quark matter predict a sharp burst of anti \nu_e
several hundred milliseconds after the prompt \nu_e neutronization burst. We
study the observational signatures of that anti \nu_e burst at current neutrino
detectors - IceCube and Super-Kamiokande. For a Galactic core-collapse
supernova, we find that signatures of the QCD phase transition can be detected,
regardless of the neutrino oscillation scenario. The detection would constitute
strong evidence of a phase transition in the stellar core, with implications
for the equation of state at high matter density and the supernova explosion
mechanism.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures; matches published version (1 additional figure,
added discussion of subsampling at IceCube). Accepted for publication in PR
Astrophysical Implications of the QCD phase transition
The possible role of a first order QCD phase transition at nonvanishing quark chemical potential and temperature for cold neutron stars and for supernovae is delineated. For cold neutron stars, we use the NJL model with nonvanishing color superconducting pairing gaps, which describes the phase transition to the 2SC and the CFL quark matter phases at high baryon densities. We demonstrate that these two phase transitions can both be present in the core of neutron stars and that they lead to the appearance of a third family of solution for compact stars. In particular, a core of CFL quark matter can be present in stable compact star configurations when slightly adjusting the vacuum pressure to the onset of the chiral phase transition from the hadronic model to the NJL model. We show that a strong first order phase transition can have strong impact on the dynamics of core collapse supernovae. If the QCD phase transition sets in shortly after the first bounce, a second outgoing shock wave can be generated which leads to an explosion. The presence of the QCD phase transition can be read off from the neutrino and antineutrino signal of the supernova