arXiv subjects

Micaela Oertel

Publications and source records attributed to Micaela Oertel.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Probing Neutron Star Interiors and the Properties of Cold Ultra-dense Matter with the SKAO

Matter inside neutron stars is compressed to densities several times greater than nuclear saturation density, while maintaining low temperatures and large asymmetries between neutrons and protons. Neutron stars, therefore, provide a unique laboratory for testing physics in environments that cannot be recreated on Earth. To uncover the highly uncertain nature of cold, ultra-dense matter, discovering and monitoring pulsars is essential, and SKAO will play a crucial role in this endeavour. In this chapter, we will present the current state-of-the-art in dense matter physics and dense matter superfluidity, and discuss recent advances in measuring global neutron star properties (masses, moments of inertia, and maximum rotation frequencies) as well as non-global observables (pulsar glitches and free precession). We will specifically highlight how radio observations of isolated neutron stars and those in binaries -- such as those performed with SKAO in the near future -- inform our understanding of ultra-dense physics and address in detail how SKAO's telescopes unprecedented sensitivity, large-scale survey and sub-arraying capabilities will enable novel dense matter constraints. We will also address the potential impact of dark matter and modified gravity models on these constraints and emphasise the role of synergies between SKAO and other facilities, specifically X-ray telescopes and next-generation gravitational wave observatories.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Magnetized neutron stars: perturbative versus fully-numerical approaches

(1) Background: for the study of highly magnetized neutron stars observed as magnetars, and to quantify the effect of this intense magnetic field onto the star's structure and shape which can be particularly relevant for the study of emission of continuous gravitational waves, both numerical and perturbative approaches have been developed. (2) Methods: we compare these two approaches in General Relativity with the limitation to the case where the magnetic field has a purely poloidal structure. The perturbative one (Konno-99) assumes that the deformation induced by the magnetic field is small and that this field arises only from dipole currents. The full numerical one is based on the library LORENE. (3) Results: we have used both approaches to compute the magnetic field distribution and the deformation of the star, varying the value of the magnetic field at the pole, the compactness of the star and its equation of state. (4) Conclusions: whereas the perturbative approach breaks down for very high polar magnetic field values (typically above a few times $10^{16}$ G), it gives very good results for observed values, even in magnetars. On the contrary, the numerical code exhibits resolution problems for relatively low magnetic field values (typically $10^{10}$ G), which translates into imprecise computation of the star's deformation and mass quadrupole moment.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Rapidly rotating hot nuclear and hypernuclear compact stars: integral parameters and universal relations

In this work, we investigate hot, isentropic compact stars in the limiting cases of static and maximally rotating configurations, focusing on how variations in the symmetry energy of the equation of state derived from covariant density functional theory affect stellar properties. We consider both nucleonic and hyperonic matter with systematically varied symmetry energy slopes, fixed entropies per baryon $s / k_B=1$ and 3, and electron fractions $Y_e=0.1$ and $Y_e=0.4$, representative of conditions in binary neutron star mergers and proto-neutron stars. We compute and analyze mass--radius and moment--of--inertia--mass relations, as well as the dependence of the Keplerian (mass-shedding) frequency on mass, angular momentum, and the ratio of kinetic to gravitational energy. Furthermore, we show that several universal relations between global properties remain valid across both nucleonic and hyperonic equations of state with varying symmetry energy, both in the static and Keplerian limit, and for various combinations of the fixed entropy and electron fraction.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Stellar properties indicating the presence of hyperons in neutron stars

We describe distinctive stellar features indicating the presence of hyperons in neutron stars as compared to purely nucleonic systems. A strongly negative curvature of the mass-radius relation $R(M)$ is characteristic of hyperons, which can be determined from measurements of neutron stars with three different masses. Similarly, a reduced second derivative of the tidal deformability as function of mass λ(M) points to hyperonic degrees of freedom in NS matter. The slopes of such curves R(M) and λ(M) can distinguish a hyperonic equation of state from purely nucleonic models if they appear increased (decreased for λ(M)) relative to the maximum mass of neutron stars.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2026

Numerical simulations of oscillating and differentially rotating neutron stars

The remnants of binary neutron star mergers are expected to be massive, rapidly rotating stars whose oscillations produce gravitational waves in the kilohertz band. The degree of differential rotation and the rotation profiles strongly influence their structure, stability and oscillation spectrum, and must therefore be taken into account when modeling their dynamics. We extend the pseudospectral code ROXAS (Relativistic Oscillations of non-aXisymmetric neutron stArS) to enable the dynamical evolution of oscillating, differentially rotating neutron stars. Using the updated code, we aim to study the star's oscillation frequencies. We extend the previous formalism, based on primitive variables and the conformal flatness approximation, to differential rotation. Within this framework, we run a series of axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric simulations of perturbed, differentially rotating neutron stars with different rotation rates, and extract their oscillation frequencies. Axisymmetric modes, as well as those under the Cowling approximation, show excellent agreement with published results. We show that the secondary fundamental mode in the Cowling approximation is an artifact that does not appear in dynamical spacetimes. In addition, we provide, for the first time, frequency values for non-axisymmetric modes in differentially rotating configurations evolved in conformal flatness. This extension broadens the range of physical scenarios that can be studied with ROXAS, and represents a step toward more realistic modeling of post-merger remnants and their gravitational-wave emission.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2026

ESO Expanding Horizon White Paper: Revealing the properties of matter at supranuclear densities with gravitational waves

Understanding dense matter under extreme conditions is one of the most fundamental puzzles in modern physics. Complex interactions give rise to emergent, collective phenomena. While nuclear experiments and Earth - based colliders provide valuable insights, much of the quantum chromodynamics phase diagram at high density and low temperature remains accessible only through astrophysical observations of neutron stars, neutron star mergers, and stellar collapse. Astronomical observations thus offer a direct window to the physics on subatomic scales with gravitational waves presenting an especially clean channel. Next-generation gravitational - wave observatories, such as the Einstein Telescope, would serve as unparalleled instruments to transform our understanding of neutron star matter. They will enable the detection of up to tens of thousands of binary neutron star and neutron star - black hole mergers per year, a dramatic increase over the few events accessible with current detectors. They will provide an unprecedented precision in probing cold, dense matter during the binary inspiral, exceeding by at least an order of magnitude what current facilities can achieve. Moreover, these observatories will allow us to explore uncharted regimes of dense matter at finite temperatures produced in a subset of neutron star mergers, areas that remain entirely inaccessible to current instruments. Together with multimessenger observations, these measurements will significantly deepen our knowledge of dense nuclear matter.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2025

Probing neutron star interiors and the properties of cold ultra-dense matter with the SKAO

Matter inside neutron stars is compressed to densities several times greater than nuclear saturation density, while maintaining low temperatures and large asymmetries between neutrons and protons. Neutron stars, therefore, provide a unique laboratory for testing physics in environments that cannot be recreated on Earth. To uncover the highly uncertain nature of cold, ultra-dense matter, discovering and monitoring pulsars is essential, and the SKA will play a crucial role in this endeavour. In this paper, we will present the current state-of-the-art in dense matter physics and dense matter superfluidity, and discuss recent advances in measuring global neutron star properties (masses, moments of inertia, and maximum rotation frequencies) as well as non-global observables (pulsar glitches and free precession). We will specifically highlight how radio observations of isolated neutron stars and those in binaries -- such as those performed with the SKA in the near future -- inform our understanding of ultra-dense physics and address in detail how SKAO's telescopes unprecedented sensitivity, large-scale survey and sub-arraying capabilities will enable novel dense matter constraints. We will also address the potential impact of dark matter and modified gravity models on these constraints and emphasise the role of synergies between the SKA and other facilities, specifically X-ray telescopes and next-generation gravitational wave observatories.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2025

Properties of neutron stars with hyperons within a generalized relativistic approach

In this work, we study the effects of $\Lambda$-hyperons on neutron star properties employing a generalized relativistic framework for the equation of state (EOS). Different choices for defining the hyperonic couplings with different levels of parametric freedom are discussed. In all models, the predicted NS maximum masses are reduced compared with the purely nucleonic composition as expected. In the case of relating hyperonic couplings via $SU(6)$-symmetry arguments to the nucleonic ones, we find that NS radii for intermediate mass stars are shifted to higher values compared with purely nucleonic stars, in agreement with the existing literature. However, allowing for more freedom for the hyperonic couplings, the effect is strongly reduced, and the distributions in the NS mass-radius plane of models with and without hyperons become very close. We have also investigated how different nucleonic density functionals influence the hyperon matter composition and neutron star properties.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2025

Dense Matter in Neutron Stars with eXTP

In this White Paper, we present the potential of the enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry (eXTP) mission to constrain the equation of state of dense matter in neutron stars, exploring regimes not directly accessible to terrestrial experiments. By observing a diverse population of neutron stars - including isolated objects, X-ray bursters, and accreting systems - eXTP's unique combination of timing, spectroscopy, and polarimetry enables high-precision measurements of compactness, spin, surface temperature, polarimetric signals, and timing irregularity. These multifaceted observations, combined with advances in theoretical modeling, pave the way toward a comprehensive description of the properties and phases of dense matter from the crust to the core of neutron stars. Under development by an international Consortium led by the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the eXTP mission is planned to be launched in early 2030.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

CompactObject: An open-source Python package for full-scope neutron star equation of state inference

The CompactObject package is an open-source software framework developed to constrain the neutron star equation of state (EOS) through Bayesian statistical inference. It integrates astrophysical observational constraints from X-ray timing, gravitational wave events, and radio measurements, as well as nuclear experimental constraints derived from perturbative Quantum Chromodynamics (pQCD) and Chiral Effective Field Theory ($χ$EFT). The package supports a diverse range of EOS models, including meta-model like and several physics-motivated EOS models. It comprises three independent components: an EOS generator module that currently provides seven EOS choices, a Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff (TOV) equation solver, that allows the determination of the Mass Radius and Tidal deformability as observables, and a comprehensive Bayesian inference workflow module, including a complete pipeline for implementing EOS Bayesian inference. Each component can be used independently in different scientific research contexts, such as nuclear physics and astrophysics. In addition, CompactObject is designed to work in synergy with existing software such as CompOSE, allowing the use of the CompOSE EOS database to extend the EOS options available.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Axion emission from strange matter in core-collapse SNe

The duration of the neutrino burst from the supernova event SN 1987A is known to be sensitive to exotic sources of cooling, such as axions radiated from the dense and hot hadronic matter thought to constitute the inner core of the supernova. We perform the first quantitative study of the role of hadronic matter beyond the first generation -- in particular strange matter. We do so by consistently including the full baryon and meson octets, and computing axion emissivity induced from baryon-meson to baryon-axion scatterings as well as from baryon decays. We consider a range of supernova thermodynamic conditions, as well as equation-of-state models with different strangeness content. We obtain the first bound on the axial axion-strange-strange coupling, as well as the strongest existing bound on the axion-down-strange counterpart. Our bound on the latter coupling can be as small as $O(10^{-2})$ for $f_a = 10^9$ GeV.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2024

Finite-temperature equations of state of compact stars with hyperons: three-dimensional tables

We construct tables of finite temperature equation of state (EoS) of hypernuclear matter in the range of densities, temperatures, and electron fractions that are needed for numerical simulations of supernovas, proto-neutron stars, and binary neutron star mergers and cast them in the format of {\sc CompOSE} database. The tables are extracted from a model that is based on covariant density functional (CDF) theory that includes the full $J^P=1/2^+$ baryon octet in a manner that is consistent with the current astrophysical and nuclear constraints. We employ a parameterization with three different values of the slope of the symmetry energy $L_{\rm sym}=30$, 50 and 70 MeV and fixed skewness $Q_{\rm sat}= 400$ MeV for above saturation matter. A model for the EoS of inhomogeneous matter is matched at sub-saturation density to the high-density hypernuclear EoS. We discuss the generic features of the resulting EoS and the composition of matter as a function of density, temperature, and electron fraction. The nuclear characteristics and strangeness fraction of these models are compared to the alternatives from the literature. The integral properties of static and rapidly rotating compact stars in the limit of zero temperature are discussed and confronted with the multimessenger astrophysical constraints.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2024

One- and two-argument equation of state parametrizations with continuous sound speed for neutron star simulations

We describe two fitting schemes that aim to represent the high-density part of realistic equations of state for numerical simulations such as neutron star oscillations. The low-density part of the equation of state is represented by an arbitrary polytropic crust, and we propose a generic procedure to stitch any desired crust to the high-density fit, which is performed on the internal energy, pressure and sound speed of barotropic equations of state that describe cold neutron stars in $β$-equilibrium. An extension of the fitting schemes to equations of state with an additional compositional argument is proposed. In particular we develop a formalism that ensures the existence of a $β$-equilibrium at low densities. An additional feature of this low-density model is that it can be, in principle, applied to any parametrization. The performance of the fits is checked on mass, radius and tidal deformability as well as on the dynamical radial oscillation frequencies. To that end, we use a pseudospectral isolated neutron star evolution code based on a non-conservative form of the hydrodynamical equations. A comparison to existing parametrizations is proposed, as far as possible, and to published radial frequency values in the literature. The static and dynamic quantities are well reproduced by the fitting schemes. Our results suggest that, even though the radius is very sensitive to the choice of the crust, this choice has little influence on the oscillation frequencies of a neutron star.

astro-ph.HE↗

arXiv2024

Bayesian inference of thermal effects in dense matter within the covariant density functional theory

The high temperatures reached in a proto-neutron star or during the post-merger phase of a binary neutron star coalescence lead to non-negligible thermal effects on the equation of state (EOS) of dense nuclear matter. Here we study these effects within the covariant density functional theory employing the posteriors of a Bayesian inference, which encompasses a large sample of EOS models. Different densities and temperatures are considered. We find that for a number of quantities thermal effects are strongly correlated with the Dirac effective mass ($m^*$) of the nucleons and/or its logarithmic derivative as a function of density. These results can be explained within the low temperature approximation though they survive beyond this limit.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2023

Nuclear physics constraints from binary neutron star mergers in the Einstein Telescope era

The next generation of ground-based gravitational-wave detectors, Einstein Telescope (ET) and Cosmic Explorer (CE), present a unique opportunity to put constraints on dense matter, among many other groundbreaking scientific goals. In a recent study the science case of ET was further strengthened, studying in particular the performances of different detector designs. In this paper we present a more detailed study of the nuclear physics section of that work. In particular, focusing on two different detector configurations (the single-site triangular-shaped design and a design consisting of two widely separated "L-shaped" interferometers), we study the detection prospects of binary neutron star (BNS) mergers, and how they can reshape our understanding of the underlying equation of state (EoS) of dense matter. We employ several state-of-the-art EoS models and state-of-the-art synthetic BNS merger catalogs, and we make use of the Fisher information formalism (FIM) to quantify statistical errors on the astrophysical parameters describing individual BNS events. To check the reliability of the FIM method, we further perform a full parameter estimation for a few simulated events. Based on the uncertainties on the tidal deformabilities associated to these events, we outline a mechanism to extract the underlying injected EoS using a recently developed meta-modelling approach within a Bayesian framework. Our results suggest that with $\gtrsim 500$ events with signal-to-noise ratio greater than $12$, we will be able to pin down very precisely the underlying EoS governing the neutron star matter.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2023

Quick Guides for Use of the CompOSE Data Base

We present a combination of two quick guides aimed at summarizing relevant information about the CompOSE nuclear equation of state repository. The first is aimed at nuclear physicists and describes how to provide standard equation of state tables. The second quick guide is meant for users and describes the basic procedures to obtain customized tables with equation of state data. Several examples are included to help providers and users to understand and benefit from the CompOSE database.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2023

Generalised description of Neutron Star matter with nucleonic Relativistic Density Functional

In this work, we propose a meta-modelling technique to nuclear matter on the basis of a relativistic density functional with density-dependent couplings. Identical density dependence for the couplings both in the isoscalar and isovector sectors is employed. We vary the coupling parameters of the model to capture the uncertainties of the empirical nuclear matter parameters at saturation. Then, we construct a large ensemble of unified equations of state in a consistent manner both for clusterized and uniform matter in $β$-equilibrium at zero temperature. Finally, we calculate neutron star properties to check the consistency with astrophysical observations within a Bayesian framework. Out of the different sets of astrophysical data employed, constraint on tidal deformability from the GW170817 event was found to be the most stringent in the posteriors of different neutron star properties explored in the present study. We demonstrate in detail the impact of the isovector incompressibility ($K_{sym}$) on high-density matter that leads to a considerable variation in the composition of neutron star matter. A couple of selected models with extreme values of $K_{sym}$, which satisfy various modern nuclear physics and neutron star astrophysics constraints, are uploaded in the \textsc{CompOSE} \cite{Typel:2013rza} database for use by the community.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2023

Modified Urca neutrino emissivity at finite temperature

Charged current neutrino-nucleon reactions, generally called Urca processes, are crucial actors of a neutron star's thermal evolution. The so-called direct processes show a pronounced threshold under which the reaction is kinematically suppressed. This suppression does not apply to "modified" Urca processes which involve interaction with an additional nucleon. Calculations of the modified Urca neutrino rates were established for cold neutron star matter and for dilute hot matter, in both cases under strong assumptions. In this paper, we revise the calculations of the modified Urca neutrino rates for dense and hot matter, and for different compositions. We study the influence of different approximations used in previous computations. We derive expressions for the rates of modified Urca neutrino emissivity within thermal field theory and perform the phase space integration numerically using mainly importance sampling Monte-Carlo techniques. The neutrino emissivity of modified and direct processes are established and compared. We find in particular that the modified Urca process is not necessarily suppressed with respect to the direct process above the threshold of the latter at moderate densities and temperatures, in contrast to what is generally assumed. Numerical results are confirmed by an estimation of the ratio of modified to direct Urca rates with a simple analytic approximation, thereby showing the regimes of suppression for the modified processes depending on temperature and density. These results show that modified Urca rates have to be considered carefully upon evaluating neutrino opacities in dense and warm matter.

nucl-th↗