Date of Award

2017-01-01

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Physics

Advisor(s)

Jorge A. Lopez

Abstract

This study used a classical molecular dynamics model to observe the role of electron gas on the formation of nuclear structures at subsaturation densities (Ï?<0.015 fm^-3) and low temperatures (T< 1MeV ). The simulations were performed by varying the Coulomb interaction strength on systems of isospin symmetric and asymmetric matter with periodic boundary conditions. The effect was quantified on the fragment size multiplicity, the inter-particle distance, the isospin content of the clusters, the nucleon mobility and cluster persistence, and on the nuclear structure shapes. The existence of the nuclear pasta structures was observed even with the absence of the Coulomb interaction but with a modication of the shapes formed. It was found that the presence of the electron gas tends to distribute matter more evenly, forms less compact objects, decreases the isospin content of clusters, modies the nucleon mobility, reduces the persistence and the fragment size multiplicity, but does not alter the inter-particle distance in clusters. The degree of these effects also varied on the nuclear structures and depended on their isospin content, temperature, and density.

Language

en

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Size

45 pages

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Enrique Ramirez-Homs

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Physics Commons

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