Email this article Superfluid Liquid Crystals: Pasta Phases in Neutron Star Crusts
- Authors: Kobyakov D.N.1, Pethick C.J.2,3
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Affiliations:
- Institute of Applied Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences
- The Niels Bohr International Academy, The Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen
- NORDITA, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University
- Issue: Vol 127, No 5 (2018)
- Pages: 851-859
- Section: Article
- URL: https://journals.rcsi.science/1063-7761/article/view/193777
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063776118110067
- ID: 193777
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Abstract
The pasta phases predicted to occur near the inner boundary of the crust of a neutron star resemble liquid crystals, a smectic A in the case of sheet-like nuclei (lasagna) and the columnar phase in the case of rod-like nuclei (spaghetti). An important difference compared with usual liquid crystals is that the nucleons are superfluid. We develop the hydrodynamic equations for this system and use them to study collective oscillations. Nucleon superfluidity leads to important qualitative differences in the spectra of these oscillations and also increases their frequencies compared with ordinary liquid crystals. We discuss a number of directions for future work.
About the authors
D. N. Kobyakov
Institute of Applied Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences
Author for correspondence.
Email: dmitry.kobyakov@appl.sci-nnov.ru
Russian Federation, Nizhny Novgorod, 603950
C. J. Pethick
The Niels Bohr International Academy, The Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen; NORDITA, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University
Author for correspondence.
Email: pethick@nbi.dk
Denmark, Copenhagen Ø, DK-2100; Stockholm, SE-106 91
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