Isospin-rich nuclei in neutron star matter

Abstract

Stability of nuclei beyond the drip lines in the presence of an enveloping gas of nucleons and electrons, as prevailing in the inner crust of a neutron star, is studied in the temperature-dependent Thomas-Fermi framework. A limiting asymmetry in the isospin space beyond which nuclei cannot exist emerges from the calculations. The ambient conditions like temperature, baryon density and neutrino concentration under which these exotic nuclear systems can be formed are studied in some detail.Comment: Submitted to Phy. Rev. C: Revtex version of manuscript 22 pages and 10 PS-files for figure