arXiv subjects

David Blaschke

Publications and source records attributed to David Blaschke.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Ionization potential depression and Pauli blocking in degenerate plasmas at extreme densities

New facilities explore warm dense matter (WDM) at extreme conditions where the densities are very high (e.g., carbon up to density of 50 g cm$^{-3}$) so that electrons are degenerate even at 100 eV temperature. Whereas in the non-degenerate region correlation effects such as Debye screening and its improvements are relevant for the ionization potential depression (IPD), new effects have to be considered in degenerate plasmas. In addition to the Fock shift of the self-energies, the bound-state Pauli blocking becomes important with increasing density. Taking these degeneracy effects into account leads to a reduction of the ionization potential and to a higher degree of ionization. Standard approaches to IPD such as Stewart-Pyatt and widely used opacity tables (e.g., OPAL) do not contain Pauli blocking effects for bound states so that they fail to explain experiments with WDM in the high density region. As example, results for the ionization degree of carbon plasmas are presented.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2018

Chiral symmetry restoration by parity doubling and the structure of neutron stars

We investigate the equation of state for a recently developed hybrid quark-meson-nucleon model under neutron star conditions of $β-$equilibrium and charge neutrality. The model has the characteristic feature that at increasing baryon density chiral symmetry is restored in a first order transition within the hadronic phase by lifting the mass splitting between chiral partner states, before quark deconfinement takes place. Most important for this study are the nucleon (neutron, proton) and $N(1535)$ states. We present three sets for the two free parameters which result in compact star mass-radius relations in accordance with modern constraints on the mass from PSR~J0437-4715 and on the compactness from GW170817. We also consider the threshold for the direct URCA process for which a new relationship is given and suggest as an additional constraint on the parameter choice of the model that this process shall become operative at best for stars with masses above the range for binary radio pulsars, $M>1.4~M_\odot$.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2018

Two novel approaches to the hadron-quark mixed phase in compact stars

First-order phase transitions, like the liquid-gas transition, proceed via formation of structures such as bubbles and droplets. In strongly interacting compact star matter, at the crust-core transition, but also at the hadron-quark transition in the core, these structures form different shapes dubbed "pasta phases". We describe two methods to obtain one-parameter families of hybrid equations of state (EoS) which mimic the thermodynamic behavior of pasta phases in between a low-density hadron and a high-density quark matter phase, thus generalizing the Maxwell construction. The first method replaces the behavior of pressure vs. chemical potential in a finite region around the critical %chemical potential pressure of the Maxwell construction by a polynomial interpolation. The second method uses extrapolations of the hadronic and quark matter EoS beyond the Maxwell point to define a mixing of both with weight functions bounded by finite limits around the Maxwell point. We apply both methods to the case of a hybrid EoS with a strong first order transition that entails the formation of a third family of compact stars and the corresponding mass twin phenomenon. We investigate for both models the robustness of this phenomenon against variation of the single parameter, the pressure increment at the critical chemical potential which quantifies the deviation from the Maxwell construction. We also show sets of results for other compact star observables than mass and radius, namely the moment of inertia and the baryon mass.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2018

Phases of dense matter in compact stars

Formed in the aftermath of gravitational core-collapse supernova explosions, neutron stars are unique cosmic laboratories for probing the properties of matter under extreme conditions that cannot be reproduced in terrestrial laboratories. The interior of a neutron star, endowed with the highest magnetic fields known and with densities spanning about ten orders of magnitude from the surface to the centre, is predicted to exhibit various phases of dense strongly interacting matter, whose physics is reviewed in this chapter. The outer layers of a neutron star consist of a solid nuclear crust, permeated by a neutron ocean in its densest region, possibly on top of a nuclear "pasta" mantle. The properties of these layers and of the homogeneous isospin asymmetric nuclear matter beneath constituting the outer core may still be constrained by terrestrial experiments. The inner core of highly degenerate, strongly interacting matter poses a few puzzles and questions which are reviewed here together with perspectives for their resolution. Consequences of the dense-matter phases for observables such the neutron-star mass-radius relationship and the prospects to uncover their structure with modern observational programmes are touched upon.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2018

Towards a Unified Quark-Hadron Matter Equation of State for Applications in Astrophysics and Heavy-Ion Collisions

We outline an approach to a unified equation of state for quark-hadron matter on the basis of a $Φ-$derivable approach to the generalized Beth-Uhlenbeck equation of state for a cluster decomposition of thermodynamic quantities like the density. To this end we summarize the cluster virial expansion for nuclear matter and demonstrate the equivalence of the Green's function approach and the $Φ-$derivable formulation. For an example, the formation and dissociation of deuterons in nuclear matter is discussed. We formulate the cluster $Φ-$derivable approach to quark-hadron matter which allows to take into account the specifics of chiral symmetry restoration and deconfinement in triggering the Mott-dissociation of hadrons. This approach unifies the description of a strongly coupled quark-gluon plasma with that of a medium-modified hadron resonance gas description which are contained as limiting cases. The developed formalism shall replace the common two-phase approach to the description of the deconfinement and chiral phase transition that requires a phase transition construction between separately developed equations of state for hadronic and quark matter phases. Applications to the phenomenology of heavy-ion collisions and astrophysics are outlined.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2018

Phenomenological Equation of State of Strongly Interacting Matter with First-Order Phase Transitions and Critical Points

An extension of the relativistic density functional approach to the equation of state for strongly interacting matter is suggested which generalizes a recently developed modified excluded-volume mechanism to the case of temperature and density dependent available-volume fractions. A parametrisation of this dependence is presented for which at low temperatures and suprasaturation densities a first-order phase transition is obtained. It changes for increasing temperatures to a crossover transition via a critical endpoint. This provides a benchmark case for studies of the role of such a point in hydrodynamic simulations of ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions. The approach is thermodynamically consistent and extendable to finite isospin asymmetries that are relevant for simulations of neutron stars, their mergers and core-collapse supernova explosions.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2018

The state of matter in simulations of core-collapse supernovae -- Reflections and recent developments

In this review article we discuss selected developments regarding the role of the equation of state (EOS) in simulations of core-collapse supernovae. There are no first-principle calculations of the state of matter under supernova conditions since a wide range of conditions is covered, in terms of density, temperature and isospin asymmetry. Instead, model EOS are commonly employed in supernova studies. These can be divided into regimes with intrinsically different degrees of freedom: heavy nuclei at low temperatures, inhomogeneous nuclear matter where light and heavy nuclei coexist together with unbound nucleons, and the transition to homogeneous matter at high densities and temperatures. In this article we discuss each of these phases with particular view on their role in supernova simulations.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2017

Strange matter in compact stars

We discuss possible scenarios for the existence of strange matter in compact stars. The appearance of hyperons leads to a hyperon puzzle in ab-initio approaches based on effective baryon-baryon potentials but is not a severe problem in relativistic mean field models. In general, the puzzle can be resolved in a natural way if hadronic matter gets stiffened at supersaturation densities, an effect based on the quark Pauli quenching between hadrons. We explain the conflict between the necessity to implement dynamical chiral symmetry breaking into a model description and the conditions for the appearance of absolutely stable strange quark matter that require both, approximately masslessness of quarks and a mechanism of confinement. The role of strangeness in compact stars (hadronic or quark matter realizations) remains unsettled. It is not excluded that strangeness plays no role in compact stars at all. To answer the question whether the case of absolutely stable strange quark matter can be excluded on theoretical grounds requires an understanding of dense matter that we have not yet reached.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2017

Fermi liquid, clustering, and structure factor in dilute warm nuclear matter

Properties of nuclear systems at subsaturation densities can be obtained from different approaches. We demonstrate the use of the density autocorrelation function which is related to the isothermal compressibility and, after integration, to the equation of state. This way we connect the Landau Fermi liquid theory well elaborated in nuclear physics with the approaches to dilute nuclear matter describing cluster formation. A quantum statistical approach is presented, based on the cluster decomposition of the polarization function. The fundamental quantity to be calculated is the dynamic structure factor. Comparing with the Landau Fermi liquid theory which is reproduced in lowest approximation, the account of bound state formation and continuum correlations gives the correct low-density result as described by the second virial coefficient and by the mass action law (nuclear statistical equilibrium). Going to higher densities, the inclusion of medium effects is more involved compared with other quantum statistical approaches, but the relation to the Landau Fermi liquid theory gives a promising approach to describe not only thermodynamic but also collective excitations and non-equilibrium properties of nuclear systems in a wide region of the phase diagram.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2017

Mixed Phase within the Multi-polytrope Approach to High Mass Twins

We present a multi-polytrope approach to describe high-mass twins fulfilling chiral effective field theory estimations of the neutron star equation state and test it against the appearance of mixed phases at the hadron-quark interface. In addition, we discuss astrophysical applications of this method and expected future measurements that shall further constrain neutron star matter and the understanding of the QCD phase diagram.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2017

Formation of hadrons at chemical freeze-out

We use a kinetic condition to predict the chemical freeze-out parameters for hadronic species produced in heavy ion collisions. The resulting freeze-out lines for different hadrons lie close to one another in the temperature and baryochemical potential plane, defining a universal, narrow region. The chemical freeze-out is driven by the localization of hadrons due to the chiral symmetry breaking and confining aspects of the QCD transition.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2017

Recent selected theory developments for NICA

In this contribution I present a few selected topics of recent theoretical developments of relevance for the NICA facility under construction. In a first part, I discuss new aspects of the QCD phase diagram like the possible existence of a critical endpoint of first-order phase transitions from the perspective of generalizations of the 3-flavor PNJL model including the conjecture of a universal pressure for the onset of deconfinement in heavy-ion collisions and astrophysics. A second part is devoted to first results of the newly constructed event simulator (THESEUS) which is based on the particlization of the former three-fluid hydrodynamics code by Ivanov, Russkikh and Toneev that allows also to study the role of hadronic final state interactions. Possible signals of the mixed phase accessible at NICA are considered. In particular, the robustness of the baryon-stopping signal of deconfinement and the occurrence of antiflow for protons have been investigated for Au+Au collisions in the range of the NICA-MPD energy scan for $\sqrt{s} \sim 6 \dots 8$ GeV. This signal is reflected also in the flow pattern of light nuclear clusters, in particular deuterons. The sharp peak for the $K^+/π^+$ ratio at $\sqrt{s} \sim 8$ GeV (the "horn" effect) is not obtained in the present version of THESEUS and calls for improvement of the equation of state input. I report the recent progress in developing a generalized Beth-Uhlenbeck approach to a unified description of quark-hadron matter which includes now strangeness and reveals a new mechanism for explaining the $K^+/π^+$ ratio due to the pronounced occurrence of an anomalous mode in the $K^+$ at finite baryochemical potentials.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2016

Nonlocal quark model description of a composite Higgs particle

We propose a description of the Higgs boson as top-antitop quark bound state within a nonlocal relativistic quark model of Nambu - Jona-Lasinio type. In contrast to model with local four-fermion interaction, the mass of the scalar bound state can be lighter than the sum of its constituents. This is achieved by adjusting the interaction range and the value of the coupling constant to experimental data, for both the top quark mass and the scalar Higgs boson mass, which can simultaneously be described.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2016

Supporting the search for the CEP location with nonlocal PNJL models constrained by Lattice QCD

We investigate the possible location of the critical endpoint in the QCD phase diagram based on nonlocal covariant PNJL models including a vector interaction channel. The form factors of the covariant interaction are constrained by lattice QCD data for the quark propagator. The comparison of our results for the pressure including the pion contribution and the scaled pressure shift $ΔP / T^4$ vs $T/T_c$ with lattice QCD results shows a better agreement when Lorentzian formfactors for the nonlocal interactions and the wave function renormalization are considered. The strength of the vector coupling is used as a free parameter which influences results at finite baryochemical potential. It is used to adjust the slope of the pseudocritical temperature of the chiral phase transition at low baryochemical potential and the scaled pressure shift accessible in lattice QCD simulations. Our study, albeit presently performed at the meanfield level, supports the very existence of a critical point and favors its location within a region that is accessible in experiments at the NICA accelerator complex.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2016

Interplay between Symmetry Energy and Excluded Volume Corrections under the Direct Urca Cooling Constraint in Neutron Stars

Both the symmetry energy part and excluded volume corrections to the equation of state play an important role for the neutron star interior structure and composition, namely for the profile of the baryon density and the proton fraction. While the symmetry energy uniquely determines the proton fraction, excluded volume effects control the maximum density values inside neutron stars. Observations of cooling neutron stars indicate that the fast direct Urca cooling is not operative for the typical, low mass stars, pointing at proton fractions that lie below the threshold for the onset of direct Urca cooling process. This in turn, restricts the density range admissible in neutron star interiors and may require an excluded volume correction. In this contribution we discuss the interplay between fast cooling, symmetry energy and excluded volume corrections to the equation of state that would be required to fulfil the direct Urca cooling constraint.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2015

Proton gaps and cooling of neutron stars with a stiff hadronic EoS

The recent measurements of the masses of the pulsar J00737-3039B and of the companion J1756-2251 and pulsars PSR J1614-2230, PSR J0348-0432 demonstrate the existence of compact stars with masses in a broad range from 1.2 to 2 $M_\odot$. To fulfill the constraint $M_{\rm max}>2M_{\odot}$ and to demonstrate the possibility of cooling scenarios for purely hadronic and further for hybrid stars we exploit the stiff DD2 hadronic equation of state producing a maximum neutron star mass $M\simeq 2.43 M_{\odot}$. We show that the "nuclear medium cooling" scenario for neutron stars comfortably explains the whole set of cooling curves just by a variation of the star masses without the necessity for the occurrence of the direct Urca reaction. To describe the cooling data with the very stiff DD2 equation of state we select a proton gap profile from those exploited in the literature and allow for a variation of the effective pion gap controlling the efficiency of the medium modified Urca process. Fast cooling of young neutron stars like it is seen in the data for Cas A is explained with the DD2 equation of state when the following conditions are provided: the presence of an efficient medium modified Urca process, and a large proton gap at densities $n\le 2n_0$ vanishing for $n\ge (2.5 - 3) n_0$, where $n_0$ is the saturation nuclear density.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2015

Bayesian analysis for two-parameter hybrid EoS with high-mass compact star twins

We perform a Bayesian analysis in the basis of a recently developed two-parameter class of hybrid equations of state that allow for high-mass compact star twins. While recently a wide range of radii, from 9 - 15 km, has been inferred for different neutron stars using different techniques, we perform our analysis under the supposition that the radii are towards the large end ($13-15$ km). We use this radius constraint together with the undebated statistically independent constraint for high masses ($\sim 2~M_\odot$) as priors in selecting the most probable hybrid equations of state from a family with two free parameters: the baryon excluded volume in the hadronic phase and the 8-quark vector channel interaction in the quark matter phase.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2015

A new quark-hadron hybrid equation of state for astrophysics - I. High-mass twin compact stars

Aims: We present a new microscopic hadron-quark hybrid equation of state model for astrophysical applications, from which compact hybrid star configurations are constructed. These are composed of a quark core and a hadronic shell with a first-order phase transition at their interface. The resulting mass-radius relations are in accordance with the latest astrophysical constraints. Methods: The quark matter description is based on a quantum chromodynamics (QCD) motivated chiral approach with higher-order quark interactions in the Dirac scalar and vector coupling channels. For hadronic matter we select a relativistic mean-field equation of state with density-dependent couplings. Since the nucleons are treated in the quasi-particle framework, an excluded volume correction has been included for the nuclear equation of state at suprasaturation density which takes into account the finite size of the nucleons. Results: These novel aspects, excluded volume in the hadronic phase and the higher-order repulsive interactions in the quark phase, lead to a strong first-order phase transition with large latent heat, i.e. the energy-density jump at the phase transition, which fulfils a criterion for a disconnected third-family branch of compact stars in the mass-radius relationship. These twin stars appear at high masses ($\sim$ 2 M$_\odot$) that are relevant for current observations of high-mass pulsars. Conclusions: This analysis offers a unique possibility by radius observations of compact stars to probe the QCD phase diagram at zero temperature and large chemical potential and even to support the existence of a critical point in the QCD phase diagram.

astro-ph.HE↗