Saturation of Nuclear Matter and Roles of Many-Body Forces: nuclear matter in neutron stars probed by nucleus-nucleus scattering

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent advances in nuclear interaction models derived from realistic forces, focusing on nuclear matter saturation and neutron star properties, and introduces a novel method to probe these properties via nucleus-nucleus scattering experiments.

Contribution

It presents a new approach to extract nuclear matter saturation and neutron star stiffness from laboratory nucleus-nucleus scattering data.

Findings

Nuclear forces modeled with Brueckner's G-matrix theory.

Correlation between scattering data and nuclear matter saturation.

Potential to determine neutron star properties from laboratory experiments.

Abstract

Yoichiro Nambu put a great foot print in nuclear physics in the era of its fundamental developments including his pioneering insight into essential ingredients of repulsive core of nuclear force and its relation to the saturation of nuclear matter. The present review article focuses onto recent developments of the interaction models between colliding nuclei in terms of Brueckner's G-matrix theory staring from realistic nuclear forces and the saturation property of symmetric nuclear matter as well as neutron-star matter. A recently proposed unique scenario of extracting the saturation property of nuclear matter and stiffness of neutron stars through the analysis of nucleus-nucleus elastic scattering in laboratories is presented in some detail.