Nonparametric extensions of nuclear equations of state: probing the breakdown scale of relativistic mean-field theory

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Legred, Isaac, Brodie, Liam, Haber, Alexander, Essick, Reed, Chatziioannou, Katerina
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Legred, Isaac
Brodie, Liam
Haber, Alexander
Essick, Reed
Chatziioannou, Katerina
author_facet Legred, Isaac
Brodie, Liam
Haber, Alexander
Essick, Reed
Chatziioannou, Katerina
contents Phenomenological calculations of the properties of dense matter, such as relativistic mean-field theories, represent a pathway to predicting the microscopic and macroscopic properties of neutron stars. However, such theories do not generically have well-controlled uncertainties and may break down within neutron stars. To faithfully represent the uncertainty in this breakdown scale, we develop a hybrid representation of the dense-matter equation of state, which assumes the form of a relativistic mean-field theory at low densities, while remaining agnostic to any nuclear theory at high densities. To achieve this, we use a nonparametric equation of state model to incorporate the correlations of the underlying relativistic mean-field theory equation of state at low pressures and transition to more flexible correlations above some chosen pressure scale. We perform astrophysical inference under various choices of the transition pressure between the theory-informed and theory-agnostic models. We further study whether the chosen relativistic mean-field theory breaks down above some particular pressure and find no such evidence. Using simulated data for future astrophysical observations at about two-to-three times the precision of current constraints, we show that our method can identify the breakdown pressure associated with a potential strong phase transition.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_07677
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Nonparametric extensions of nuclear equations of state: probing the breakdown scale of relativistic mean-field theory
Legred, Isaac
Brodie, Liam
Haber, Alexander
Essick, Reed
Chatziioannou, Katerina
Nuclear Theory
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
Phenomenological calculations of the properties of dense matter, such as relativistic mean-field theories, represent a pathway to predicting the microscopic and macroscopic properties of neutron stars. However, such theories do not generically have well-controlled uncertainties and may break down within neutron stars. To faithfully represent the uncertainty in this breakdown scale, we develop a hybrid representation of the dense-matter equation of state, which assumes the form of a relativistic mean-field theory at low densities, while remaining agnostic to any nuclear theory at high densities. To achieve this, we use a nonparametric equation of state model to incorporate the correlations of the underlying relativistic mean-field theory equation of state at low pressures and transition to more flexible correlations above some chosen pressure scale. We perform astrophysical inference under various choices of the transition pressure between the theory-informed and theory-agnostic models. We further study whether the chosen relativistic mean-field theory breaks down above some particular pressure and find no such evidence. Using simulated data for future astrophysical observations at about two-to-three times the precision of current constraints, we show that our method can identify the breakdown pressure associated with a potential strong phase transition.
title Nonparametric extensions of nuclear equations of state: probing the breakdown scale of relativistic mean-field theory
topic Nuclear Theory
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.07677