Shell states of neutron-rich matter

The equation of state (EOS) for nuclear and neutron rich matter is investigated in a relativistic mean field (RMF) model. New shell states are found that minimize the free energy per baryon, calculated in a spherical Wigner-Seitz (WS) approximation, over a significant range of baryon densities. These shell states, that have both inside and outside surfaces, minimize the Coulomb energy of large proton number configurations at the expense of a larger surface energy. This is related to a possible depression in the central density of super heavy nuclei. As the baryon density increases, we find the system changes from normal nuclei, to shell states, and then to uniform matter.