Quarks and Compact Stars (QCS)
Oct. 20-22, 2014, KIAA at Peking University, Beijing - P. R. China

Impacts of the nuclear symmetry energy on neutron star crusts

Shishao Bao

Nankai University

Abstract: Using the relativistic mean-field theory, we adopt two different methods, namely, the coexisting phase method and the self-consistent Thomas-Fermi approximation, to study the impacts of the nuclear symmetry energy on properties of neutron star crusts within a wide range of densities. It is found that the symmetry energy and its density slope play an important role in determining the neutron drip density, the pasta phases, and the crust-core transition. We also study the finite-size effect and find that it is crucial in determining the equilibrium state at low densities.