Arnau Rios

Correlations in hot asymmetric nuclear matter

The single-particle spectral functions in asymmetric nuclear matter are computed using the ladder approximation within the theory of finite temperature Greens functions. The internal energy and the momentum distributions of protons and neutrons are studied as a function of the density and the asymmetry of the system. The proton states are more strongly depleted when the asymmetry increases whereas the occupation of the neutron states is enhanced compared to the symmetric case. The self-consistent Greens function approach leads to slightly smaller energies compared to the Brueckner-Hartree-Fock approach. This effect increases with density and thereby modifies the saturation density and leads to smaller symmetry energies.

Density and isospin asymmetry dependence of high-momentum components

We study the one-body momentum distribution at different densities in nuclear matter, with special emphasis on its components at high momentum. Explicit calculations for finite neutron-proton asymmetry, based on the ladder self-consistent Greens function approach, allow us to access the isospin dependence of momentum distributions and elucidate their role in neutron-rich systems. Comparisons with the deuteron momentum distribution indicate that a substantial proportion of high-momentum components are dominated by tensor correlations. We identify the density dependence of these tensor correlations in the momentum distributions. Further, we find that high-momentum components are determined by the density of each sub-species and we provide a new isospin asymmetry scaling of these components. We use different realistic nucleon-nucleon interactions to quantify the model dependence of our results.

High-momentum components in the nuclear symmetry energy

The short-range and tensor correlations associated to realistic nucleon-nucleon interactions induce a population of high-momentum components in the many-body nuclear wave function. We study the impact of such high-momentum components on bulk observables associated to isospin asymmetric matter. The kinetic part of the symmetry energy is strongly reduced by correlations when compared to the non-interacting case. The origin of this behaviour is elucidated using realistic interactions with different short-range and tensor structures.

Depletion of the nuclear Fermi sea

The short-range and tensor components of the bare nucleon-nucleon interaction induce a sizable depletion of low momenta in the ground state of a nuclear many-body system. The self-consistent Greens function method within the ladder approximation provides an ab initio description of correlated nuclear systems that accounts properly for these effects. The momentum distribution predicted by this approach is analyzed in detail, with emphasis on the depletion of the lowest momentum state. The temperature, density, and nucleon asymmetry (isospin) dependence of the depletion of the Fermi sea is clarified. A connection is established between the momentum distribution and the time-ordered components of the self-energy, which allows for an improved interpretation of the results. The dependence on the underlying nucleon-nucleon interaction provides quantitative estimates of the importance of short-range and tensor correlations in nuclear systems.

Ferromagnetic instabilities in neutron matter at finite temperature with the Skyrme interaction

The properties of spin-polarized neutron matter are studied at both zero and finite temperature using Skyrme-type interactions. It is shown that the critical density at which ferromagnetism takes place decreases with temperature. This unexpected behavior is associated to an anomalous behavior of the entropy that becomes larger for the polarized phase than for the unpolarized one above a certain critical density. This fact is a consequence of the dependence of the entropy on the effective mass of the neutrons with different third spin component. A new constraint on the parameters of the effective Skyrme force is derived if this behavior is to be avoided.

Microscopic calculations of spin polarized neutron matter at finite temperature

Abstract The properties of spin polarized neutron matter are studied both at zero and finite temperature within the framework of the Brueckner–Hartree–Fock formalism, using the Argonne v18 nucleon–nucleon interaction. The free energy, energy and entropy per particle are calculated for several values of the spin polarization, densities and temperatures together with the magnetic susceptibility of the system. The results show no indication of a ferromagnetic transition at any density and temperature.

Correlated density-dependent chiral forces for infinite-matter calculations within the Green's function approach

The properties of symmetric nuclear and pure neutron matter are investigated within an extended self-consistent Greens function method that includes the effects of three-body forces. We use the ladder approximation for the study of infinite nuclear matter and incorporate the three-body interaction by means of a density-dependent two-body force. This force is obtained via a correlated average over the third particle, with an in-medium propagator consistent with the many-body calculation we perform. We analyze different prescriptions in the construction of the average and conclude that correlations provide small modifications at the level of the density-dependent force. Microscopic as well as bulk properties are studied, focusing on the changes introduced by the density dependent two-body force. The total energy of the system is obtained by means of a modified Galitskii-Migdal-Koltun sum rule. Our results validate previously used uncorrelated averages and extend the availability of chirally motivated forces to a larger density regime.

Hot neutron matter from a self-consistent Green's-functions approach

A systematic study of the microscopic and thermodynamical properties of pure neutron matter at finite temperature within the self-consistent Greens-function approach is performed. The model dependence of these results is analyzed by both comparing the results obtained with two different microscopic interactions, the CD Bonn and the Argonne V18 potentials, and by analyzing the results obtained with other approaches, such as the Brueckner-Hartree-Fock approximation, the variational approach, and the virial expansion.

Pairing in high-density neutron matter including short- and long-range correlations

Pairing gaps in neutron matter need to be computed in a wide range of densities to address open questions in neutron-star phenomenology. Traditionally, the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer approach has been used to compute gaps from bare nucleon-nucleon interactions. Here we incorporate the influence of short- and long-range correlations in the pairing gaps. Short-range correlations are treated, including the appropriate fragmentation of single-particle states, and substantially suppress the gaps. Long-range correlations dress the pairing interaction via density and spin modes and provide a relatively small correction. We use different interactions, some with three-body forces, as a starting point to control for any systematic effects. Results are relevant for neutron-star cooling scenarios, in particular in view of the recent observational data on Cassiopeia A.

Effective interaction dependence of the liquid-gas phase transition in symmetric nuclear matter

The liquid–gas phase transition for homogeneous symmetric nuclear matter is studied in the mean-field approximation. Critical properties are computed using a comprehensive group of Skyrme and Gogny forces in an effort to elucidate the effective interaction dependence of the results. Analytical models for the thermodynamical and critical properties are discussed and compared to an extensive set of mean-field data. In agreement with these models, a tight correlation is found between the flashing and the critical points. Accurate predictions for the critical temperature, based on saturation properties, can only be obtained after the density dependence of the effective mass is properly taken into account. While the thermodynamical properties coming from different mean-fields do not follow a law of corresponding states, the critical exponents for all the mean-fields have been found to be the same. Their values coincide with those predicted by the Landau mean-field theory of critical phenomena.