The nucleonic thermal conductivity of pastas in neutron star matter

This investigation explores the nucleonic thermal conductivity of nuclear star matter as it undergoes the topological transition to the pasta regime, and further down to the solid-liquid phase transition. The study was carried out using molecular dynamics simulations with nuclear potentials embedded in an effective (i.e. Thomas-Fermi) Coulomb potential. The nucleonic thermal conductivity experiences a dramatic change within a narrow temperature interval around T similar or equal to 1 MeV. This change accompanies the pasta breakdown during a heating process. The nucleonic thermal conductivity, by flipping protons' or neutrons' velocity, further shows a decoupling for asymmetric nuclear star matter. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.