Critical temperature for $\alpha$-particle condensation in asymmetric nuclear matter

Abstract

The critical temperature for $\alpha$-particle condensation in nuclear matter with Fermi surface imbalance between protons and neutrons is determined. The in-medium four-body Schr\"odinger equation, generalizing the Thouless criterion of the BCS transition, is applied using a Hartree-Fock wave function for the quartet projected onto zero total momentum in matter with different chemical potentials for protons and neutrons.