26 research outputs found
From Hypernuclei to Hypermatter: a Quantum Monte Carlo Study of Strangeness in Nuclear Structure and Nuclear Astrophysics
The work presents the recent developments in Quantum Monte Carlo calculations
for nuclear systems including strange degrees of freedom. The Auxiliary Field
Diffusion Monte Carlo algorithm has been extended to the strange sector by the
inclusion of the lightest among the hyperons, the particle. This
allows to perform detailed calculations for hypernuclei, providing a
microscopic framework for the study of the hyperon-nucleon interaction in
connection with the available experimental information. The extension of the
method for strange neutron matter, put the basis for the first Diffusion Monte
Carlo analysis of the hypernuclear medium, with the derivation of neutron star
observables of great astrophysical interest.Comment: Ph.D. thesis at University of Trento, Ital
Exotic atoms at extremely high magnetic fields: the case of neutron star atmosphere
The presence of exotic states of matter in neutron stars (NSs) is currently
an open issue in physics. The appearance of muons, kaons, hyperons, and other
exotic particles in the inner regions of the NS, favored by energetic
considerations, is considered to be an effective mechanism to soften the
equation of state (EoS). In the so-called two-families scenario, the softening
of the EoS allows for NSs characterized by very small radii, which become
unstable and convert into a quark stars (QSs). In the process of conversion of
a NS into a QS material can be ablated by neutrinos from the surface of the
star. Not only neutron-rich nuclei, but also more exotic material, such as
hypernuclei or deconfined quarks, could be ejected into the atmosphere. In the
NS atmosphere, atoms like H, He, and C should exist, and attempts to model the
NS thermal emission taking into account their presence, with spectra modified
by the extreme magnetic fields, have been done. However, exotic atoms, like
muonic hydrogen or the so-called Sigmium , could
also be present during the conversion process or in its immediate aftermath. At
present, analytical expressions of the wave functions and eigenvalues for these
atoms have been calculated only for H. In this work, we extend the existing
solutions and parametrizations to the exotic atoms and
, making some predictions on possible transitions. Their
detection in the spectra of NS would provide experimental evidence for the
existence of hyperons in the interior of these stars.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, proceedings of the "International Conference on
Exotic Atoms and Related Topics - EXA2017", Austrian Academy of Sciences,
Austria, September 11-15, 201