Relativistic mean-field models of neutron-rich matter

TL;DR

This chapter introduces relativistic mean-field models, highlighting their theoretical foundations and applications in nuclear physics and astrophysics, especially for understanding neutron-rich matter and neutron stars.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive, accessible overview of the models' assumptions, applications, and their role in connecting nuclear experiments with astrophysical observations.

Findings

Relativistic mean-field models unify descriptions of nuclear properties and neutron-rich matter.

These models are crucial for constructing equations of state for dense matter.

They help interpret neutron star observations in multi-messenger astronomy.

Abstract

The aim of this chapter, focused on relativistic mean-field models and part of the Encyclopedia of Nuclear Physics, is to provide an introductory, self-contained discussion accessible to a broad audience, including advanced undergraduate students. The chapter surveys the fundamental ideas, assumptions, and theoretical framework underlying relativistic mean-field models, and illustrates their wide range of applications across nuclear science. Particular emphasis is placed on the central role that these models play in the construction of equations of state for strongly interacting matter, as well as on the intimate connections between nuclear experiments, astrophysical observations, and theoretical modeling. In this context, relativistic mean-field theory is shown to provide a unified description of bulk nuclear properties and dense neutron-rich matter, enabling the interpretation of the remarkable structural and observational properties of neutron stars in the emerging era of multi-messenger astronomy.