arXiv subjects

Gerd Röpke

Publications and source records attributed to Gerd Röpke.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Universality and variability of the heavy r-process element abundance pattern from a nonequilibrium approach

A striking feature in the observed chemical composition of the majority of stars is the universality of the relative abundances of the heavy elements, although some outliers exist. We demonstrate that a nonequilibrium freeze-out approach provides a natural way of accounting for the typical abundance pattern and its variation. Here, we use a phenomenological method to characterize the coarse-grained distribution of heavy $r$-process elements in several astrophysical objects. The Lagrange parameters show only minor fluctuations when comparing different stars. Larger deviations are observed in stars with low metallicity. The variations in the Lagrange parameters for these stars are presented. The determination of the Lagrange parameters can be instrumental in identifying possible sources for the formation of heavy elements. In particular, density fluctuations are considered as a source for the production of heavy elements in the early Universe.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2026

Ionization potential depression in degenerate plasmas and Pauli blocking of multi-electron ions

The composition of partially ionised plasmas is investigated for densities and temperatures at which the free electrons are degenerate. Based on a quantum statistical approach, the effect of Pauli blocking is addressed. Specifically, one- and two-electron ions are studied. Approximations for deriving an in-medium Schrödinger equation for the ionization potential are indicated. New results regarding the degree of ionisation and the Mott effect are presented. Standard codes for plasma properties do not take Pauli blocking effects into account and are therefore unable to explain the experiments in the high-density regime, where the electrons are degenerate.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2026

The virial expansion of the Hydrogen equation of state in comparison to PIMC simulations: the quasiparticle concept, IPD, and ionization degree

The properties of plasmas in the low-density limit are described by virial expansions. Analytical expressions are known for the lowest virial coefficients from Green's function approaches.Recently, accurate path-integral Monte Carlo simulations were performed for the hydrogen plasma at low densities by Filinov and Bonitz [Phys. Rev. E 108 (2023)055212], which made a comparison of the virial expansions and the derivation of interpolation formulas possible. The exact expression for the second virial coefficient is used to test the accuracy of the PIMC simulations and the range of application of the virial expansions.To describe plasmas in a wider range of density and temperature, the concept of quasiparticles is considered. Medium modifications of free and bound states are obtained from the spectral function. Mean-field effects are presented, such as exchange terms, Pauli blocking and screening. The density expansions of the quasiparticle shifts is considered. The combination of PIMC simulations with benchmarks from exact virial expansion results allows us to obtain precise results for the EoS in the low-density range. At low densities, the results are compared with the Saha equation to introduce the medium-dependent ionization potential. The relation to the Beth-Uhlenbeck formula and concepts such as the Mott effect, ionization potential depression (IPD), and ionization degree are discussed. The limits of current PIMC results for hydrogen plasmas are shown. Further improvements of the PIMC simulations are required to compare with analytical benchmarks.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2026

The virial expansion of plasma properties: benchmarks for numerical results

Expressions for the thermodynamic and transport properties of plasmas are derived from quantum statistics in the form of equilibrium correlation functions. These can be evaluated using analytical methods or numerical approaches such as DFT-MD or PIMC simulations. Virial expansions are obtained using the Green's function method. They provide benchmarks for numerical simulations and are useful in the low-density range. The results for the equation of state are discussed for the uniform electron gas and the hydrogen plasma. Transport properties such as the dielectric function are also of interest. Virial expansions are considered for the electrical direct current conductivity as a special case of the dielectric function. Examples are given and it is explained where further work is needed to obtain a consistent description of the properties of hot and dense plasmas.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2026

Roadmap for warm dense matter physics

This roadmap presents the state-of-the-art, current challenges and near future developments anticipated in the thriving field of warm dense matter physics. Originating from strongly coupled plasma physics, high pressure physics and high energy density science, the warm dense matter physics community has recently taken a giant leap forward. This is due to spectacular developments in laser technology, diagnostic capabilities, and computer simulation techniques. Only in the last decade has it become possible to perform accurate enough simulations \& experiments to truly verify theoretical results as well as to reliably design experiments based on predictions. Consequently, this roadmap discusses recent developments and contemporary challenges that are faced by theoretical methods, and experimental techniques needed to create and diagnose warm dense matter. A large part of this roadmap is dedicated to specific warm dense matter systems and applications in astrophysics, inertial confinement fusion and novel material synthesis.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2025

Generalized Beth--Uhlenbeck entropy formula from the $Φ-$derivable approach

We derive a generalized Beth-Uhlenbeck formula for the entropy of a dense fermion system with strong two-particle correlations, including scattering states and bound states. We work within the $Φ-$derivable approach to the thermodynamic potential. The formula takes the form of an energy-momentum integral over a statistical distribution function times a unique spectral density. In the near mass-shell limit, the spectral density reduces, contrary to naïve expectations, not to a Lorentzian but rather to a "squared Lorentzian" shape. The relation of the Beth-Uhlenbeck formula to the $Φ$-derivable approach is exact at the two-loop level for $Φ$. The formalism we develop, which extends the Beth-Uhlenbeck approach beyond the low-density limit, includes Mott dissociation of bound states, in accordance with Levinson's theorem, and the self-consistent back reaction of correlations in the fermion propagation. We discuss applications to further systems, such as quark matter and nuclear matter.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2025

Generalized Beth-Uhlenbeck approach to the thermodynamics of quark-hadron matter

We present a unified approach to the transition from hadronic matter to quark matter where hadrons are treated as bound states of quarks which dissociate at high densities due to quark Pauli blocking. The newly developed approach makes use of a cluster virial expansion formulated in terms of a generalized $Φ$-derivable approach to multi-quark correlations with bound and continuum states in their spectrum encoded in hadron phase shifts. Our model can be used to obtain thermodynamic functions not only at zero and small chemical potentials, where they are consistent with lattice QCD simulations, but also at large chemical potentials where lattice QCD simulations have the sign problem. By applying a reaction-kinetic criterion for the chemical freeze-out of multi-quark clusters in heavy-ion collisions, we demonstrate that the chemical freeze-out coincides with their Mott transition. The approach can be applied to study the effects of the QCD transition on primordial black hole formation in the early Universe and on hybrid neutron star formation in supernova explosions and binary neutron star mergers.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Speed of sound of QCD matter at chiral crossover

Based on a generalized Beth-Uhlenbeck approach to thermodynamics of QCD motivated by cluster decomposition we present a unified equation of state of hot strongly interacting matter and analyze its properties in a wide range of temperatures. The hadrons are treated as color singlet multiquark clusters in medium with a background gluon field in the Polyakov gauge. The confining aspect of QCD is accounted for by the Polyakov loop mechanism and by a large vacuum quark mass motivated by a confining density functional approach. We demonstrate that an abrupt switching between hadronic and partonic degrees of freedom, which is one of striking manifestations of dynamical restoration of chiral symmetry, is accompanied by a smooth behavior of entropy density at chiral crossover. Individual contributions of different components of strongly interacting matter to its speed of sound are analyzed for the first time. It is shown that restoration of chiral symmetry drives speed of sound of hadron gas to negative values, manifesting its mechanical instability and being in a strike disagreements with the lattice QCD data. Accounting for the partonic excitations naturally resolves this contradiction.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2025

Nonequilibrium Phenomenology of Identified Particle Spectra in Heavy-Ion Collisions at LHC Energies

We employ the Zubarev approach of the non-equilibrium statistical operator to investigate the enhancement of the low-$p_T$ region of pion spectra, introducing an effective pion chemical potential to describe the overpopulation of low-energy pion states. We test a corresponding freeze-out approach by analyzing the transverse-momentum spectra of identified particles measured recently with high precision by the ALICE Collaboration in Pb+Pb collisions at CERN LHC. A blast-wave model and a blast-wave-based particle generator, coupled to a hadronic transport model, are utilized. Bayesian inference methods are applied to extract the most probable sets of thermodynamic parameters at the chemical freeze-out hypersurface. Both models for the overpopulated pion states, the hadronic transport model and the thermal model with a nonzero pion chemical potential, provide a satisfactory description of the observed pion spectra. However, both approaches contain approximations which can be improved within a systematic nonequilibrium approach. We demonstrate that the introduction of a nonequilibrium pion chemical potential offers an efficient alternative to the conventional explanation of the low-$p_T$ enhancement, typically attributed to resonance decays with subsequent thermalization. A similar discussion holds also for the kaon spectra.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2023

Virial coefficients of the Uniform Electron Gas from Path Integral Monte Carlo Simulations

The properties of plasmas in the low-density limit are described by virial expansions. Analytical expressions are known from Green's function approaches only for the first three virial coefficients. Accurate path integral Monte Carlo (PIMC) simulations have recently been performed for the uniform electron gas, allowing the virial expansions to be analyzed and interpolation formulas to be derived. The exact expression for the second virial coefficient is used to test the accuracy of the PIMC simulations and the range of validity of the interpolation formula of Groth {\it et al.}~[Phys.~Rev.~Lett.~\textbf{119}, 135001 (2017)]. We discuss the fourth virial coefficient, which is of interest, e.g., for properties of solar plasmas, but has not yet been precisely known. Combining PIMC simulations with benchmarks from exact results of the virial expansion would allow us to obtain precise results for the equation of state (EoS) in a wide range of parameters.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2022

Deuteron yields from LHC: Continuum correlations and in-medium effects

To explain the production of light nuclei in heavy-ion collisions at extreme energies, we focus on the deuteron case. A Gibbs ensemble at chemical freeze-out is a prerequisite to investigate the non-equilibrium evolution of the expanding fireball. Quantum statistical approaches allow to describe correlations including bound state formation in the strongly interacting and hot system. We consider the virial approach to evaluate proton-neutron correlations. In generalization of the treatment of protons in pionic matter (pion-proton puzzle), the influence of the pion environment on deuteron-like correlations is evaluated using data for the pion-deuteron scattering phase shifts. Calculated yields for deuteron production are compared with the ones observed at the LHC.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2022

The uniform electron gas at high temperatures: \emph{ab initio} path integral Monte Carlo simulations and analytical theory

We present extensive new \emph{ab initio} path integral Monte Carlo (PIMC) simulations of the uniform electron gas (UEG) in the high-temperature regime, $8\leqθ=k_\textnormal{B}T/E_\textnormal{F}\leq128$. This allows us to study the convergence of different properties towards the classical limit. In particular, we investigate the classical relation between the static structure factor $S(\mathbf{q})$ and the static local field correction $G(\mathbf{q})$, which is only fulfilled at low densities. Moreover, we compare our new results for the interaction energy to the parametrization of the UEG by Groth \emph{et al.}~[PRL \textbf{119}, 135001 (2017)], which interpolates between PIMC results for $θ\leq8$ and the Debye-Hückel limit, and to higher order analytical virial expansions. Finally, we consider the momentum distribution function $n(\mathbf{q})$ and find an interaction-induced increase in the occupation of the zero-momentum state even for $θ\gtrsim32$. All PIMC data are freely available online, and can be used as input for improved parametrizations and as a rigorous benchmark for approximate methods.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2021

Virial Expansion of the Electrical Conductivity of Hydrogen Plasmas

The low-density limit of the electrical conductivity $σ(n,T)$ of hydrogen as the simplest ionic plasma is presented as function of temperature T and mass density n in form of a virial expansion of the resistivity. Quantum statistical methods yield exact values for the lowest virial coefficients which serve as benchmark for analytical approaches to the electrical conductivity as well as for numerical results obtained from density functional theory based molecular dynamics simulations (DFT-MD) or path-integral Monte Carlo (PIMC) simulations. While these simulations are well suited to calculate $σ(n,T)$ in a wide range of density and temperature, in particular for the warm dense matter region, they become computationally expensive in the low-density limit, and virial expansions can be utilized to balance this drawback. We present new results of DFT-MD simulations in that regime and discuss the account of electron-electron collisions by comparing with the virial expansion.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2020

Light clusters in warm stellar matter: calibrating the cluster couplings

The abundances of light clusters within a formalism that considers in-medium effects are calculated using several relativistic mean-field models, with both density-dependent and density-independent couplings. Clusters are introduced as new quasiparticles, with a modified coupling to the scalar meson field. A comparison with experimental data from heavy ion collisions allows settling the model dependence of the results and the determination of the couplings of the light clusters to the meson fields. We find that extra experimental constraints at higher density are needed to convincingly pin down the density associated to the melting of clusters in the dense nuclear medium. The role of neutron rich clusters, such as $^6$He, in asymmetric matter is discussed.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2020

Medium modifications for light and heavy nuclear clusters in simulations of core collapse supernovae -- Impact on equation of state and weak interactions

The present article investigates the role of heavy nuclear clusters and weakly bound light nuclear clusters based on a newly developed equation of state for core collapse supernova studies. A novel approach is brought forward for the description of nuclear clusters, taking into account the quasiparticle approach and continuum correlations. It demonstrates that the commonly employed nuclear statistical equilibrium approach, based on non-interacting particles, for the description of light and heavy clusters becomes invalid for warm nuclear matter near the saturation density. This has important consequences for studies of core collapse supernovae. To this end, we implement this nuclear equation of state provided for arbitrary temperature, baryon density and isospin asymmetry, to spherically symmetric core collapse supernova simulations in order to study the impact on the dynamics as well as on the neutrino emission. For the inclusion of a set of weak processes involving light clusters the rate expressions are derived, including medium modifications at the mean field level. A substantial impact from the inclusion of a variety of weak reactions involving light clusters on the post bounce dynamics nor on the neutrino emission could not be found.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2020

Chirally improved quark Pauli blocking in nuclear matter and applications to quark deconfinement in neutron stars

The relativistic mean field (RMF) model of the nuclear matter equation of state has been modified by including the effect of Pauli-blocking owing to quark exchange between the baryons. Different schemes of a chiral enhancement of the quark Pauli blocking have been suggested according to the adopted density dependence of the dynamical quark mass. The resulting equations of state for the pressure are compared to the RMF model DD2 with excluded volume correction. On the basis of this comparison a density-dependent nucleon volume is extracted which parametrises the quark Pauli blocking effect in the respective scheme of chiral enhancement. The dependence on the isospin asymmetry is investigated and the corresponding density dependent nuclear symmetry energy is obtained in fair accordance with phenomenological constraints. The deconfinement phase transition is obtained by a Maxwell construction with a quark matter phase described within a higher order NJL model. Solutions for rotating and nonrotating (hybrid) compact star sequences are obtained which show the effect of high-mass twin compact star solutions for the rotating case.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2020

Carbon ionization at Gbar pressures: an ab initio perspective on astrophysical high-density plasmas

A realistic description of partially-ionized matter in extreme thermodynamic states is critical to model the interior and evolution of the multiplicity of high-density astrophysical objects. Current predictions of its essential property, the ionization degree, rely widely on analytical approximations that have been challenged recently by a series of experiments. Here, we propose a novel ab initio approach to calculate the ionization degree directly from the dynamic electrical conductivity using the Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn sum rule. This Density Functional Theory framework captures genuinely the condensed matter nature and quantum effects typical for strongly-correlated plasmas. We demonstrate this new capability for carbon and hydrocarbon, which most notably serve as ablator materials in inertial confinement fusion experiments aiming at recreating stellar conditions. We find a significantly higher carbon ionization degree than predicted by commonly used models, yet validating the qualitative behavior of the average atom model Purgatorio. Additionally, we find the carbon ionization state to remain unchanged in the environment of fully-ionized hydrogen. Our results will not only serve as benchmark for traditional models, but more importantly provide an experimentally accessible quantity in the form of the electrical conductivity.

physics.plasm-ph↗

arXiv2020

Light $p$-shell nuclei with cluster structures ($4 \le A \le 16$) in nuclear matter

The composition of hot and dense nuclear matter is calculated including the $1p$-shell nuclei $4 \le A \le 16$. In-medium shifts, in particular Pauli blocking, are determined by the intrinsic wave function of the nuclei. Results are given within a shell-model approach for the nucleon wave function. Light nuclei are not always well described by the shell model. The 'clustered' nucleus $^8$Be exhibits strong correlation effects because of $α$-like clustering. Intrinsic cluster structures are also significant for the nuclei $^6$Li, $^7$Li, $^7$Be, and $^9$Be. The contribution of the relatively rare elements Li, Be, and B, to the equation of state (EoS) of matter near the saturation density is overestimated in simple approaches such as the nuclear statistical equilibrium (NSE) model. Both, the treatment of continuum correlations and the account of in-medium modifications are considered for the contribution of $^5$He and $^4$H clusters. Compared to the extended NSE including unstable nuclei, the contributions of the corresponding P$_{3/2}$ channel with $A=5, Z=2$ and P$_{2}$ channel with $A=4, Z=1$, respectively, to the EoS are strongly suppressed at high densities owing to Pauli blocking effects. For the shifts of the binding energies of the light $p$-shell nuclei, simple fit formula are given to calculate the composition of hot and dense matter in a wide parameter range.

nucl-th↗