The Quantum Nature of a Nuclear Phase Transition

TL;DR

This paper explores the quantum phase transition in atomic nuclei, highlighting how neutron-proton ratios influence critical points and discussing experimental findings within the Landau Free Energy framework.

Contribution

It introduces the quantum nature of nuclear phase transitions and examines the impact of neutron-proton asymmetry on critical phenomena, supported by experimental evidence.

Findings

Neutron-to-proton ratio affects the phase transition critical points.

Experimental results show N/Z dependence of the nuclear phase transition.

Discussion of implications within Landau Free Energy theory.

Abstract

In their ground states, atomic nuclei are quantum Fermi liquids. At finite temperatures and low densities, these nuclei may undergo a phase change similar to, but substantially different from, a classical liquid gas phase transition. As in the classical case, temperature is the control parameter while density and pressure are the conjugate variables. At variance with the classical case, in the nucleus the difference between the proton and neutron concentrations acts as an additional order parameter, for which the symmetry potential is the conjugate variable. Different ratios of the neutron to proton concentrations lead to different critical points for the phase transition. This is analogous to the phase transitions occurring in $^{4}$He-$^{3}$He liquid mixtures. We present experimental results which reveal the N/Z dependence of the phase transition and discuss possible implications of these observations in terms of the Landau Free Energy description of critical phenomena.