Liquid-gas mixed phase in nuclear matter at finite temperature

TL;DR

This paper investigates the structure and phase equilibrium of liquid-gas mixed phases in nuclear matter at finite temperature, relevant to astrophysical objects like neutron stars and supernovae.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the geometrical structure and phase transition conditions, applying Maxwell and Gibbs constructions for symmetric and asymmetric nuclear matter.

Findings

Maxwell construction applies to symmetric nuclear matter

Gibbs conditions are necessary for asymmetric nuclear matter

Surface and Coulomb effects influence the mixed phase structure

Abstract

We explore the geometrical structure of Liquid-gas (LG) mixed phase which is relevant to nuclear matter in the crust region of compact stars or supernovae. To get the equation of state (EOS) of the system, the Maxwell construction is found to be applicable to symmetric nuclear matter, where protons and neutrons behave simultaneously. For asymmetric nuclear matter, on the other hand, the phase equilibrium can be obtained by fully solving the Gibbs conditions since the components in the L and G phases are completely different. We also discuss the effects of surface and the Coulomb interaction on the mixed phase.