From nuclear structure to neutron stars

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent advances in quantum Monte Carlo methods for nuclear physics, demonstrating their success in describing light nuclei and neutron-rich matter, and connecting these findings to neutron star properties.

Contribution

It introduces improved quantum Monte Carlo techniques applied to nuclear systems and links theoretical results to astrophysical observations of neutron stars.

Findings

Excellent agreement between theory and experiment for 12C charge form factor

Constraints on the nuclear symmetry energy from neutron star observations

Insights into the equation of state of neutron-rich matter

Abstract

Recent progress in quantum Monte Carlo with modern nucleon-nucleon interactions have enabled the successful description of properties of light nuclei and neutron-rich matter. As a demonstration, we show that the agreement between theoretical calculations of the charge form factor of 12C and the experimental data is excellent. Applying similar methods to isospin-asymmetric systems allows one to describe neutrons confined in an external potential and homogeneous neutron-rich matter. Of particular interest is the nuclear symmetry energy, the energy cost of creating an isospin asymmetry. Combining these advances with recent observations of neutron star masses and radii gives insight into the equation of state of neutron-rich matter near and above the saturation density. In particular, neutron star radius measurements constrain the derivative of the symmetry energy.