Light clusters, pasta phases and phase transitions in core-collapse supernova matter

TL;DR

This paper investigates the properties and phase transitions of pasta phases in core-collapse supernova matter using various models, highlighting the effects of light clusters and comparing different approximation methods.

Contribution

It introduces a comparative analysis of relativistic mean field models and approximation methods for studying pasta phases, including the impact of light clusters and phase transition densities.

Findings

Light clusters influence the phase transition densities.

Different models yield consistent free energy and pressure trends.

Transitions to uniform matter occur at specific densities and temperatures.

Abstract

The pasta phase in core-collapse supernova matter (finite temperatures and fixed proton fractions) is studied within relativistic mean field models. Three different calculations are used for comparison, the Thomas-Fermi (TF), the Coexisting Phases (CP) and the Compressible Liquid Drop (CLD) approximations. The effects of including light clusters in nuclear matter and the densities at which the transitions between pasta configurations and to uniform matter occur are also investigated. The free energy, pressure, entropy and chemical potentials in the range of particle number densities and temperatures expected to cover the pasta region are calculated. Finally, a comparison with a finite temperature Skyrme-Hartree-Fock calculation is drawn.