Density functional approach to finite temperature nuclear properties and the role of a momentum dependent isovector interaction

TL;DR

This paper uses a density functional approach with Skyrme interactions to explore finite nuclei properties at non-zero temperatures, emphasizing the impact of a momentum-dependent isovector term on stability and neutron star relevance.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of the effects of a momentum-dependent isovector interaction within a Skyrme functional framework on nuclear thermodynamics.

Findings

The isovector term significantly influences mechanical and chemical instability.

SLy4 interaction shows better suitability for neutron star modeling.

Thermodynamic properties are sensitive to the choice of Skyrme parameters.

Abstract

Using a density functional approach based on a Skyrme interaction, thermodynamic properties of finite nuclei are investigated at non-zero temperture. The role of a momentum dependent isovector term is now studied besides volume, symmetry, surface and Coulomb effects. Various features associated with both mechanical and chemical instability and the liquid-gas coexistence curve are sensitive to the Skyrme interaction. The separated effects of the isoscalar term and the isovector term of momentum dependent interaction are studied for a modified SKM($m^*=m$) interaction. The frequently used Skyrme interaction SLy4 is one of the cases considered and is shown to have better features for neutron star studies due to a larger symmetry energy.