Nuclear "pasta" --- its formation and consequences
by
Gentaro Watanabe(Theoretical Nuclear Physics Laboratory, RIKEN, Japan)
→
Europe/Stockholm
132:028
132:028
Description
In neutron star crusts and collapsing supernova cores, nuclear "pasta" phases such as a triangular lattice of rod-like (i.e., spaghetti-like) nuclei and a layered structure of slab-like (i.e., lasagna-like) nuclei are considered to exist. Although 25 years have passed since the first prediction of the pasta phases, it has been unclear whether or not they are actually formed in neutron stars and supernova cores. Using ab-initio numerical simulations called the Quantum Molecular Dynamics (QMD), we have solved this problem. In this talk, after a review of previous studies about the pasta phases, I will present our recent work and discuss the formation process of the pasta phases. Astrophysical consequences and future topics will also be discussed.