Dense matter equation of state and neutron star properties from nuclear theory and experiment

The equation of state of dense matter determines the structure of neutron stars, their typical radii, and maximum masses. Recent improvements in theoretical modeling of nuclear forces from the low-energy effective field theory of QCD has led to tighter constraints on the equation of state of neutron-rich matter at and somewhat above the densities of atomic nuclei, while the equation of state and composition of matter at high densities remains largely uncertain and open to a multitude of theoretical speculations. In the present work we review the latest advances in microscopic modeling of the nuclear equation of state and demonstrate how to consistently include also empirical nuclear data into a Bayesian posterior probability distribution for the model parameters. Derived bulk neutron star properties such as radii, moments of inertia, and tidal deformabilities are computed, and we discuss as well the limitations of our modeling.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures. To appear in the AIP Proceedings of the Xiamen-CUSTIPEN Workshop on the EOS of Dense Neutron-Rich Matter in the Era of Gravitational Wave Astronomy, Jan. 3-7, Xiamen, Chin

Proton pairing in neutron stars from chiral effective field theory

We study the ${}^{1}S_0$ proton pairing gap in beta-equilibrated neutron star matter within the framework of chiral effective field theory. We focus on the role of three-body forces, which strongly modify the effective proton-proton spin-singlet interaction in dense matter. We find that three-body forces generically reduce both the size of the pairing gap and the maximum density at which proton pairing may occur. The pairing gap is computed within BCS theory, and model uncertainties are estimated by varying the nuclear potential and the choice of single-particle spectrum in the gap equation. We find that a second-order perturbative treatment of the single-particle spectrum suppresses the proton ${}^{1}S_0$ pairing gap relative to the use of a free spectrum. We estimate the critical temperature for the onset of proton superconductivity to be $T_c = (3.7 - 6.0)\times 10^{9}$ K, which is consistent with previous theoretical results in the literature and marginally within the range deduced from a recent Bayesian analysis of neutron star cooling observations.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figure

Improved determination of the oscillator parameters in nuclei

The oscillator parameter in nuclei is refitted to reproduce the available charge radius data. As an important improvement, we include the Coulomb term evaluated within the assumption of a uniformly charged sphere, and take into account the symmetry effect induced by the difference between N and Z numbers in a straightforward manner using the conventional parameterization. The Coulomb interaction has repulsive effect, causing the wave functions to extend further toward the nucleus exterior, resulting in an effectively larger oscillator length parameter. The symmetry effect is attractive for protons in neutron-rich nuclei and for neutrons in proton-rich nuclei, and repulsive for the other cases. Therefore, three distinct oscillator parameters are determined: one for protons, one for neutrons, and one isospin-invariant version, which is obtained by subtracting the Coulomb and symmetry contributions. Additionally, we explore the direct fit of the harmonic oscillator wave functions to the eigenfunctions of the Hartree-Fock mean field using the Skyrme interaction. Generally, this method agrees well with the others for light nuclei, typically up to $^{40}$Ca. Beyond this nucleus, however, the results begin to diverge over the orbits chosen for the fit. Only the parameters values obtained for the last occupied states agree remarkably well with the conventional ones throughout the mass range under consideration.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure

Symmetry energy and neutron star properties constrained by chiral effective field theory calculations

We investigate the nuclear symmetry energy and neutron star properties using a Bayesian analysis based on constraints from different chiral effective field theory calculations using new energy density functionals that allow for large variations at high densities. Constraints at high densities are included from observations of GW170817 and NICER. In particular, we show that both NICER analyses lead to very similar posterior results for the symmetry energy and neutron star properties when folded into our equation of state framework. Using the posteriors, we provide results for the symmetry energy and the slope parameter, as well as for the proton fraction, the speed of sound, and the central density in neutron stars. Moreover, we explore correlations of neutron star radii with the pressure and the speed of sound in neutron stars. Our 95\% credibility ranges for the symmetry energy $S_v$, the slope parameter $L$, and the radius of a 1.4\,$M_\odot$ neutron star $R_{1.4}$ are $S_v=(30.6-33.9)$\,MeV, $L=(43.7-70.0)$\,MeV, and $R_{1.4}=(11.6-13.2)$\,km. Our analysis for the proton fraction shows that larger and-or heavier neutron stars are more likely to cool rapidly via the direct Urca process. Within our equation of state framework a maximum mass of neutron stars $M_{\rm max}>2.1\,M_\odot$ indicates that the speed of sound needs to exceed the conformal limit.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figure