Phase transition to the state with nonzero average helicity in dense neutron matter

TL;DR

This paper investigates a phase transition in dense neutron matter where neutrons spontaneously align their helicities, using a Skyrme effective interaction model, revealing a new state at high densities.

Contribution

It demonstrates a phase transition to a state with nonzero average helicity in neutron matter using the Skyrme BSk18 interaction, a novel finding in nuclear physics.

Findings

Neutron matter undergoes a phase transition at high densities.

The transition results in a nonzero average helicity state.

Spontaneous helicity degeneracy removal occurs in the model.

Abstract

The possibility of the appearance of the states with a nonzero average helicity in neutron matter is studied in the model with the Skyrme effective interaction. By providing the analysis of the self-consistent equations at zero temperature, it is shown that neutron matter with the Skyrme BSk18 effective force undergoes at high densities a phase transition to the state in which the degeneracy with respect to helicity of neutrons is spontaneously removed.