A Unified Approach to Urca Processes

ORAL

Abstract

Weak decay processes (like direct and modified Urca) play an important role in transport phenomena in neutron stars and neutron star mergers. The traditional treatment for the in-medium nucleon propagator in the modified Urca process uses crude approximations. We are developing an approach to unify direct and modified Urca processes by including the nucleon widths. This potentially allows us to improve several aspects of the Urca rates, which can influence cooling, bulk viscosity and other dissipative processes.

*This research was partly supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Nuclear Physics, under Award No. #DE-FG02-05ER41375

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Presenters

  • Ziyuan Zhang

    • Washington University, St. Louis

Authors

  • Ziyuan Zhang

    • Washington University, St. Louis

  • Mark G Alford

    • Washington University in St. Louis
    • Washington University in Saint Louis

  • Alexander Haber

    • Washington University, St. Louis

  • Steven P Harris

    • University of Washington