Lattice Boltzmann simulations of nuclear pasta in neutron stars

We present preliminary results from a lattice Boltzmann simulation of Nuclear Matter. The lattice Boltzmann technique has been used to successfully simulate single or multi-fluid systems, and is particularly well suited to simulating complex fluids. In this talk, we will show how we are adapting a lattice Boltzmann simulation of a Van-der-Waal’s fluid to model exotic phases of nuclear matter (“nuclear pasta”) that are predicted to occur in the deep layers of a neutron star crust. The aim is to predict certain mechanical properties such as the shear modulus of the crust that impact potentially observable phenomena such as star quakes and gravitational waves from crustal mountains.