Constraints on Skyrme equations of state from doubly magic nuclei, ab initio calculations of low-density neutron matter, and neutron stars

We use properties of doubly magic nuclei, ab initio calculations of low-density neutron matter and of neutron stars to constrain the parameters of the Skyrme energy-density functional. We find all of these properties can be reproduced within a constrained family of Skyrme parameters. The maximum mass of a neutron star is found to be sensitive to the neutron effective mass. A value of [m(n)*/m](rho(0)) = 0.60-0.65 is required to obtain a maximum neutron-star mass of 2.0 to 2.1 solar masses. Using the constrained Skyrme functional with the aforementioned effective mass, the predicted radius for a neutron star of 1.4 solar masses is 12.4(1) km and tidal polarizability is Lambda = 423(40).