Tasting Nuclear Pasta Made with Classical Molecular Dynamics Simulations

TL;DR

This paper reviews classical molecular dynamics simulations of nuclear pasta in neutron star crusts, highlighting phase transitions and encouraging observational searches for these exotic nuclear structures.

Contribution

It summarizes recent systematic studies on the properties and phase transitions of nuclear pasta using classical molecular dynamics models.

Findings

Identification of various nuclear pasta shapes

Insights into thermodynamical phase transitions

Stimulates observational efforts in neutron star studies

Abstract

Nuclear clusters or voids in the inner crust of neutron stars were predicted to have various shapes collectively nicknamed nuclear pasta. The recent review in Ref. \cite{Lopez1} by L\'opez, Dorso and Frank summarized their systematic investigations into properties especially the morphological and thermodynamical phase transitions of the nuclear pasta within a Classical Molecular Dynamics model, providing further stimuli to find more observational evidences of the predicted nuclear pasta in neutron stars.