The High-Density Symmetry Energy in Heavy-Ion Collisions and Compact Stars

Wolter, Hermann (2018): The High-Density Symmetry Energy in Heavy-Ion Collisions and Compact Stars. In: Universe, Bd. 4, Nr. 6, 72

Abstract

High-density nuclear symmetry energy is of crucial importance in astrophysics. Information on such energy has been obtained from mass-radius determinations of neutron stars (NSs), and in the future NS mergers will increasingly contribute. In the laboratory, the symmetry energy can be studied in heavy-ion collisions (HICs) at different incident energies over a large range, from very low to several times higher saturation density. Transport theory is necessary to extract the symmetry energy from the typically non-equilibrated nuclear collisions. In this contribution, we first review the transport approaches, their differences, and recent studies of their reliability. We then discuss several prominent observables, which have been used to determine the symmetry energy at high density: collective flow, light cluster emission, and particle production. It is finally argued that the results of the symmetry energy from microscopic many-body calculations, nuclear structure, nuclear reactions, and astrophysics begin to converge but still need considerable improvements in terms of accuracy.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Fakultät: Physik
• Themengebiete: 500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik > 530 Physik
• ISSN: 2218-1997
• Sprache: Englisch