Spin response and neutrino mean free path in neutron matter

TL;DR

This paper calculates the spin response functions and neutrino mean free path in pure neutron matter using advanced density functional methods based on Monte Carlo data, considering different nuclear force models.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to derive response functions in neutron matter from Monte Carlo-based density functionals, exploring model dependencies.

Findings

Response functions derived over a wide density range.

Neutrino mean free path estimates considering different nuclear forces.

Assessment of model dependence on response calculations.

Abstract

The longitudinal and transverse density- and spin-density response functions in Pure Neutron Matter (PNM) are derived over a wide range of densities within the Time Dependent Local Spin Density Approximation (TDLSDA). The underlying density functional was derived from an Auxiliary Field Diffusion Monte Carlo (AFDMC) computation of the equation of state of unpolarized and fully spin polarized pure neutron matter. In order to assess the dependence of the results on the specific underlying nucleon-nucleon Hamiltonian, we used both the phenomenological Argonne AV8'+UIX force, and local chiral forces up to N2LO. The resulting response function has then been applied to the study of the neutrino mean free path in PNM.