Limiting temperatures and the equation of state of nuclear matter

Properties of the nuclear medium

We review our knowledge on the properties of the nuclear medium that have been studied, over many years, on the basis of many-body theory, laboratory experiments and astrophysical observations. Throughout the presentation particular emphasis is placed on the possible relationship and links between the nuclear medium and the structure of nuclei, including the limitations of such an approach. First we consider the realm of phenomenological laboratory data and astrophysical observations and the hints they can give on the characteristics that the nuclear medium should possess. The analysis is based on phenomenological models, that however have a strong basis on physical intuition and an impressive success. More microscopic models are also considered, and it is shown that they are able to give invaluable information on the nuclear medium, in particular on its equation of state. The interplay between laboratory experiments and astrophysical observations is particularly stressed, and it is shown how their complementarity enormously enriches our insights into the structure of the nuclear medium. We then introduce the nucleon-nucleon interaction and the microscopic many-body theory of nuclear matter, with a critical discussion about the different approaches and their results. The Landau-Fermi liquid theory is introduced and briefly discussed, and it is shown how fruitful it can be in discussing the macroscopic and low-energy properties of the nuclear medium. As an illustrative example, we discuss neutron matter at very low density, and it is shown how it can be treated within the many-body theory. The general bulk properties of the nuclear medium are reviewed to indicate at which stage of our knowledge we stand, taking into account the most recent developments both in theory and experiments. A section is dedicated to the pairing problem. The connection with nuclear structure is then discussed, on the basis of the energy density functional method. The possibility of linking the physics of exotic nuclei and the astrophysics of neutron stars is particularly stressed. Finally, we discuss the thermal properties of the nuclear medium, in particular the liquid-gas phase transition and its connection with the phenomenology on heavy ion reactions and the cooling evolution of neutron stars. The presentation has been taken for non-specialists and possibly for non-nuclear physicists.

Involatile nanodroplets: An asymptotic analysis

The structure of nanometer-scale droplets of weakly volatile liquids arises through the interplay of strong intermolecular attraction, and core intermolecular repulsion, interfacial forces, and the large, negative chemical potential of the low density vapor with which it is in equilibrium. Using a van der Waals equation of state and a mesoscopic multiphase model, the structure of such nanodroplets is determined via an asymptotic analysis in terms of the ambient to critical temperature ratio. The structure of a spherical droplet is obtained as the solution of a simple "shooting" problem. The intradroplet pressure profile and a minimal droplet size are determined. The high pressure in the core of the droplet gives evidence for the preferred melting there for systems like water with a negative volume of melting. Our methodology can be generalized to multiphase droplets, as well as to composite structures wherein viruses or other nanoparticles are embedded.