Constraining the density dependence of nuclear symmetry energy with heavy-ion reactions and its astrophysical impact

TL;DR

This paper constrains the density dependence of nuclear symmetry energy using heavy-ion reactions and explores its implications for neutron star properties like mass, radius, and gravitational radiation.

Contribution

It provides new constraints on the nuclear symmetry energy at sub-saturation densities and examines their impact on neutron star characteristics.

Findings

Constrained the symmetry energy at sub-saturation densities.

Linked nuclear EOS constraints to neutron star properties.

Analyzed effects on gravitational radiation from rotating neutron stars.

Abstract

Recent analyses of several isospin effects in heavy-ion reactions have allowed us to constrain the density dependence of nuclear symmetry energy at sub-saturation densities within a narrow range. Combined with constraints on the Equation of State (EOS) of symmetric nuclear matter obtained previously from analyzing the elliptic flow in relativistic heavy-ion collisions, the EOS of neutron-rich nuclear matter is thus partially constrained. Here we report effects of the partially constrained EOS of neutron-rich nuclear matter on the mass-radius correlation, moment of inertia, elliptical deformation and gravitational radiation of (rapidly) rotating neutron stars.