Nuclear Shape Fluctuations in Fermi-Liquid Drop Model

Within the nuclear Fermi-liquid drop model, quantum and thermal fluctuations are considered by use of the Landau-Vlasov-Langevin equation. The spectral correlation function of the nuclear surface fluctuations is evaluated in a simple model of an incompressible and irrotational Fermi liquid. The dependence of the spectral correlation function on the dynamical Fermi-surface distortion is established. The temperature at which the eigenvibrations become overdamped is calculated. It is shown that, for realistic values of the relaxation time parameter and in the high temperature regime, there is a particular eigenmode of the Fermi liquid drop where the restoring force is exclusively due to the dynamical Fermi-surface distortion.Comment: 23 pages, revtex, file and 3 figures, accepted for publication in Nuclear Physics

Neutron Drops and Skyrme Energy-Density Functionals

The J$^{\pi}$=0$^+$ ground state of a drop of 8 neutrons and the lowest 1/2$^-$ and 3/2$^-$ states of 7-neutron drops, all in an external well, are computed accurately with variational and Green's function Monte Carlo methods for a Hamiltonian containing the Argonne $v_{18}$ two-nucleon and Urbana IX three-nucleon potentials. These states are also calculated using Skyrme-type energy-density functionals. Commonly used functionals overestimate the central density of these drops and the spin-orbit splitting of 7-neutron drops. Improvements in the functionals are suggested

The Minimal CFL-Nuclear Interface

At nuclear matter density, electrically neutral strongly interacting matter in weak equilibrium is made of neutrons, protons and electrons. At sufficiently high density, such matter is made of up, down and strange quarks in the color-flavor locked phase, with no electrons. As a function of increasing density (or, perhaps, increasing depth in a compact star) other phases may intervene between these two phases which are guaranteed to be present. The simplest possibility, however, is a single first order phase transition between CFL and nuclear matter. Such a transition, in space, could take place either through a mixed phase region or at a single sharp interface with electron-free CFL and electron-rich nuclear matter in stable contact. Here we construct a model for such an interface. It is characterized by a region of separated charge, similar to an inversion layer at a metal-insulator boundary. On the CFL side, the charged boundary layer is dominated by a condensate of negative kaons. We then consider the energetics of the mixed phase alternative. We find that the mixed phase will occur only if the nuclear-CFL surface tension is significantly smaller than dimensional analysis would indicate.Comment: 30 pages, 7 figure

First Order Kaon Condensation in Neutron Stars: Finite Size Effects in the Mixed Phase

We study the role of Coulomb and surface effects on the phase transition from dense nuclear matter to a mixed phase of nuclear and kaon-condensed matter. We calculate corrections to the bulk calculation of the equation of state (EOS) and the critical density for the transition by solving explicitly for spherical, cylindrical, and planar structures. The importance of Debye screening in the determination of the charged particle profiles is studied in some detail. We find that the surface and Coulomb contributions to the energy density are small, but that they play an important role in the determination of the critical pressure for the transition, as well as affecting the size and geometry of favored structures. This changes the EOS over a wide range of pressure and consequently increases the maximum mass by about 0.1 solar masses. Implications for transport properties of the mixed phase are also discussed.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figure

Quantum Molecular Dynamics Approach to the Nuclear Matter Below the Saturation Density

Quantum molecular dynamics is applied to study the ground state properties of nuclear matter at subsaturation densities. Clustering effects are observed as to soften the equation of state at these densities. The structure of nuclear matter at subsaturation density shows some exotic shapes with variation of the density.Comment: 21 pages of Latex (revtex), 9 Postscript figure

Exactly Solvable Model for the QCD Tricritcal Endpoint

An inclusion of temperature and chemical potential dependent surface tension into the gas of quark-gluon bags model resolves a long standing problem of a unified description of the first and second order phase transition with the cross-over. The suggested model has an exact analytical solution and allows one to rigorously study the vicinity of the critical endpoint of the deconfinement phase transition. It is found that at the curve of a zero surface tension coefficient there must exist the surface induced phase tranition of the 2-nd or higher order. The present model predicts that the critical endpoint (CEP) of quantum chromodynamics is the tricritical endpoint.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, invited talk given at the International Workshop ``Relativistic Nuclear Physics: from Nuclotron to LHC Energies'', Kiev, Ukraine, June 18-22, 200

Critical Temperature for the Nuclear Liquid-Gas Phase Transition

The charge distribution of the intermediate mass fragments produced in p (8.1 GeV) + Au collisions is analyzed in the framework of the statistical multifragmentation model with the critical temperature for the nuclear liquid-gas phase transition $T_c$ as a free parameter. It is found that $T_c=20\pm3$ MeV (90% CL).Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, published in Phys. Rev.

Pulsar Constraints on Neutron Star Structure and Equation of State

With the aim of constraining the structural properties of neutron stars and the equation of state of dense matter, we study sudden spin-ups, glitches, occurring in the Vela pulsar and in six other pulsars. We present evidence that glitches represent a self-regulating instability for which the star prepares over a waiting time. The angular momentum requirements of glitches in Vela indicate that at least 1.4% of the star's moment of inertia drives these events. If glitches originate in the liquid of the inner crust, Vela's `radiation radius' must exceed ~12 km for a mass of 1.4 solar masses. Observational tests of whether other neutron stars obey this constraint will be possible in the near future.Comment: 5 pages, including figures. To appear in Physical Review Letter

Partial Homology Relations - Satisfiability in terms of Di-Cographs

Directed cographs (di-cographs) play a crucial role in the reconstruction of evolutionary histories of genes based on homology relations which are binary relations between genes. A variety of methods based on pairwise sequence comparisons can be used to infer such homology relations (e.g.\ orthology, paralogy, xenology). They are \emph{satisfiable} if the relations can be explained by an event-labeled gene tree, i.e., they can simultaneously co-exist in an evolutionary history of the underlying genes. Every gene tree is equivalently interpreted as a so-called cotree that entirely encodes the structure of a di-cograph. Thus, satisfiable homology relations must necessarily form a di-cograph. The inferred homology relations might not cover each pair of genes and thus, provide only partial knowledge on the full set of homology relations. Moreover, for particular pairs of genes, it might be known with a high degree of certainty that they are not orthologs (resp.\ paralogs, xenologs) which yields forbidden pairs of genes. Motivated by this observation, we characterize (partial) satisfiable homology relations with or without forbidden gene pairs, provide a quadratic-time algorithm for their recognition and for the computation of a cotree that explains the given relations