arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to D. P. Menezes.
In this work, we calculate the solutions of the Rarita-Schwinger equation with the inclusion of the eletromagnetic interaction. Our gauge and coupling prescription choices lead to Dirac-type solutions. One of the consequences of our results are the Landau level occupation of particles, quite different from the usual spin 1/2 particle system occupation numbers.
Neutron stars are one of the most exotic objects in the universe and a unique laboratory to study the nuclear matter above the nuclear saturation density. In this work, we study the equation of state of the nuclear matter within a relativistic model subjected to a strong magnetic field. We then apply this EoS to study and describe some of the physical characteristics of neutron star, especially the mass-radius relation and chemical compositions. To study the influence of a the magnetic field and the hyperons in the stellar interior, we consider altogether four solutions: two different values of magnetic field to obtain a weak and a strong influence, and two configurations: a family of neutron stars formed only by protons, electrons and neutrons and a family formed by protons, electrons, neutrons, muons and hyperons. The limit and the validity of the results found are discussed with some care. In all cases the particles that constitute the neutron star are in $β$ equilibrium and zero total net charge. Our work indicates that the effect of a strong magnetic field has to be taken into account in the description of magnetars, mainly if we believe that there are hyperons in their interior, in which case, the influence of the magnetic field can increase the mass by more than 10%. We have also seen that although a magnetar can reach 2.48$M_{\odot}$, a natural explanation of why we do not know pulsars with masses above 2.0$M_{\odot}$ arises. We also discuss how the magnetic field affects the strangeness fraction in some standard neutron star masses and, to conclude our paper, we revisit the direct URCA process related to the cooling of the neutron stars and show how it is affected by the hyperons and the magnetic field.
In the present paper, the pasta phase is studied at finite temperatures within a Thomas-Fermi (TF) approach. Relativistic mean field models, both with constant and density-dependent couplings, are used to describe this frustrated system. We compare the present results with previous ones obtained within a phase-coexistence description and conclude that the TF approximation gives rise to a richer inner pasta phase structure and the homogeneous matter appears at higher densities. Finally, the transition density calculated within TF is compared with the results for this quantity obtained with other methods.
The effects of including light clusters in nuclear matter at low densities are investigated within four different parametrizations of relativistic models at finite temperature. Both homogeneous and inhomogeneous matter (pasta phase) are described for neutral nuclear matter with fixed proton fractions. We discuss the effect of the density dependence of the symmetry energy, the temperature and the proton fraction on the non-homogeneous matter forming the inner crust of proto-neutron stars. It is shown that the number of nucleons in the clusters, the cluster proton fraction and the sizes of the Wigner Seitz cell and of the cluster are very sensitive to the density dependence of the symmetry energy.
We study the statistics of 61 measured masses of neutron stars (NSs) in binary pulsar systems, including 18 double NS (DNS) systems, 26 radio pulsars (10 in our Galaxy) with white dwarf (WD) companions, 3 NSs with main-sequence companions, 13 NSs in X-ray binaries, and one undetermined system. We derive a mean value of M = 1.46 +/- 0.30 solar masses. When the 46 NSs with measured spin periods are divided into two groups at 20 milliseconds, i.e., the millisecond pulsar (MSP) group and others, we find that their mass averages are, respectively, M=1.57 +/- 0.35 solar masses and M=1.37+/- 0.23 solar masses. In the framework of the pulsar recycling hypothesis, this suggests that an accretion of approximately 0.2 solar mass is sufficient to spin up a neutron star and place it in the millisecond pulsar group. An empirical relation between the accreting mass and MSP spin period is ΔM=0.43 (solar mass)(P/1 ms)^{-2/3}. UNlike the standard recycling process, if a MSP is formed by the accretion induced collapse (AIC) of a white dwarf with a mass less than Chandrasekha limit, e.g. 1.35 solar mass, then the binary MSPs involved in AICs is not be higher than 20%, which imposes a constraint on the AIC origin of MSPs.
In this paper, we calculate the diffusion coefficients that are related to the neutrino opacities considering the formation of nuclear pasta and homogeneous matter at low densities. Our results show that the mean free paths are significantly altered by the presence of nuclear pasta in stellar matter when compared with the results obtained with homogeneous matter. These differences in neutrino opacities certainly influence the Kelvin-Helmholtz phase of protoneutron stars and consequently the results of supernova explosion simulations.
We investigate the structure of hybrid stars based on two different constructions: one is based on the Gibbs condition for phase coexistence and considers the existence of a mixed phase (MP), and the other is based on the Maxwell construction and no mixed phase is obtained. The hadron phase is described by the non-linear Walecka model (NLW) and the quark phase by the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model (NJL). We conclude that the masses and radii obtained are model dependent but not significantly different for both constructions.
The effects of the $α$ particles in nuclear matter at low densities are investigated within three different parametrizations of relativistic models at finite temperature. Both homogeneous and inhomogeneous matter (pasta phase) are described for neutral nuclear matter with fixed proton fractions and stellar matter subject to $β$-equilibrium and trapped neutrinos. In homogeneous matter, $α$ particles are only present at densities below 0.02 fm$^{-3}$ and their presence decreases with the increase of the temperature and, for a fixed temperature, the $α$ particle fraction decreases for smaller proton fractions. A repulsive interaction is important to mimic the dissolution of the clusters in homogeneous matter. The effects of the $α$ particles on the pasta structure is very small except close to the critical temperatures and / or proton fractions when it may still predict a pasta phase while no pasta phase would occur in the absence of light clusters. It is shown that for densities above 0.01 fm$^{-3}$ the $α$ particle fraction in the pasta phase is much larger than the $α$ particle fraction in homogeneous matter.
In the present work we use the mean field approximation to investigate quark matter described by the su(3) Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model subject to a strong magnetic field. We consider two cases: pure quark matter and quark matter in beta-equilibrium possibly present in magnetars. The results are compared with the ones obtained with the su(2) version of the model. The energy per baryon of magnetized quark matter becomes more bound than nuclear matter made of iron nuclei, for B around 2x10^(19)G. When the su(3) NJL model is applied to stellar matter, the maximum mass configurations are always above 1.45 solar masses and may be as high as 1.86 solar masses for a central magnetic field of 5x10^(18)G. These numbers are within the masses of observed neutron stars.
By using a parametrization of the non-linear Walecka model which takes into account the binding energy of different hyperons, we present a study of particle production yields measured in central Au-Au collision at RHIC. Two sets of different hyperon-meson coupling constants are employed in obtaining the hadron production and chemical freeze-out parameters. These quantities show a weak dependence on the used hyperon-meson couplings. Results are in good overall accordance with experimental data. We have found that the repulsion among the baryons is quite small and, through a preliminary analysis of the effective mesonic masses, we suggest a way to improve the fittings.
Quark meson coupling (QMC) models can be successfully applied to the description of compact star properties in nuclear astrophysics as well as to nuclear matter. In the regime of hot hadronic matter very few calculations exist using the QMC model, in particular when applied to particle yields in heavy ion collisions. In the present work, we identify the free energy of the bag with the effective mass of the baryons and we calculate the particle production yields on a Au+Au collision at RHIC with the QMC model and compare them with results obtained previously with other relativistic models. A smaller temperature for the fireball, T=132 MeV, is obtained due to the smaller effective baryon masses predicted by QMC. QMC was also applied to the description of particle yields at SPS in Pb+Pb collisions.
In the present paper we investigate the onset of the pasta phase with different parametrisations of the density dependent hadronic model and compare the results with one of the usual parametrisation of the non-linear Walecka model. The influence of the scalar-isovector virtual delta meson is shown. At zero temperature two different methods are used, one based on coexistent phases and the other on the Thomas-Fermi approximation. At finite temperature only the coexistence phases method is used. npe matter with fixed proton fractions and in beta-equilibrium are studied. We compare our results with restrictions imposed on the the values of the density and pressure at the inner edge of the crust, obtained from observations of the Vela pulsar and recent isospin diffusion data from heavy-ion reactions, and with predictions from spinodal calculations.
In the present work we use the large-$N_c$ approximation to investigate quark matter described by the SU(2) Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model subject to a strong magnetic field. The Landau levels are filled in such a way that usual kinks appear in the effective mass and other related quantities. $β$-equilibrium is also considered and the macroscopic properties of a magnetar described by this quark matter is obtained. Our study shows that the magnetar masses and radii are larger if the magnetic field increases but only very large fields ($\ge 10^{18}$ G) affect the EoS in a non negligible way.
We calculate the skin thickness, binding energy, surface energy and density profiles within the Dirac solution of a density dependent hadronic model and compare with the NL3 parametrization results of the non-linear Wallecka model. The asymmetry for polarized electron scattering is also obtained using a partial wave expansion calculation. Results for 208Pb, 40Ca, 48Ca, 66Ni and 90Zr are shown and discussed.
Relativistic models can be successfully applied to the description of compact star properties in nuclear astrophysics as well as to nuclear matter and finite nuclei properties, these studies taking place at low and moderate temperatures. Nevertheless, all results are model dependent and so far it is unclear whether some of them should be discarded. Moreover, in the regime of hot hadronic matter very few calculations exist using these relativistic models, in particular when applied to particle yields in heavy ion collisions. In the present work we comment on the known constraints that can help the selection of adequate models in this regime and investigate the main differences that arise when the particle production during a Au+Au collision at RHIC is calculated with different models.
In the present work we take the non relativistic limit of relativistic models and compare the obtained functionals with the usual Skyrme parametrization. Relativistic models with both constant couplings and with density dependent couplings are considered. While some models present very good results already at the lowest order in the density, models with non-linear terms only reproduce the energy functional if higher order terms are taken into account in the expansion.
In the present work we investigate one possible variation on the usual static pulsars: the inclusion of rotation. We use a formalism proposed by Hartle and Thorne to calculate the properties of rotating pulsars with all possible compositions. All calculations were performed for zero temperature and also for fixed entropy equations of state.
n the present work we investigate one possible variation on the usual electrically neutral pulsars: the inclusion of electric charge. We study the effect of electric charge in pulsars assuming that the charge distribution is proportional to the energy density. All calculations were performed for zero temperature and fixed entropy equations of state.