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Handbook of Supernovae pp 1–20Cite as

Neutron Star Matter Equation of State

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Abstract

Neutron stars are highly compact objects with masses comparable to that of our Sun but radii of only about 10 km. The structure of neutron stars is encapsulated in the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff (TOV) equations, which represent the generalization of Newtonian gravity to the domain of general relativity. Remarkably, the only input required to solve the TOV equations is the equation of state of cold, neutron-rich matter in chemical equilibrium. In this contribution we derive analytic expressions for the equation of state of an electrically neutral, relativistic free Fermi gas of neutrons, protons, and electrons in chemical equilibrium. Then, we introduce simple “scaling” concepts to rewrite the TOV equations in a form amenable to standard numerical algorithms. Finally, we highlight the ongoing synergy between astrophysics and nuclear physics that will need to be maintained, and indeed enhanced, to elucidate some of the most fascinating and challenging problems associated with the structure, dynamics, and composition of neutron stars.

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Acknowledgements

This material is based upon the work supported by the US Department of Energy Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Physics under Award Number DE-FD05-92ER40750.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Florida State University, 32306-4350, Tallahassee, FL, USA

    Jorge Piekarewicz

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  1. Jorge Piekarewicz
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Correspondence to Jorge Piekarewicz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of London Observatory, Mill Hill, United Kingdom

    Athem W. Alsabti

  2. Cambridge, United Kingdom

    Paul Murdin

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Piekarewicz, J. (2016). Neutron Star Matter Equation of State. In: Alsabti, A., Murdin, P. (eds) Handbook of Supernovae. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20794-0_54-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20794-0_54-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-20794-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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