Liquid-gas mixed phase in nuclear matter at finite temperature

Abstract

We explore the geometrical structure of Liquid-gas (LG) mixed phase which is relevant to nuclear matter in the crust region of compact stars or supernovae. To get the equation of state (EOS) of the system, the Maxwell construction is found to be applicable to symmetric nuclear matter, where protons and neutrons behave simultaneously. For asymmetric nuclear matter, on the other hand, the phase equilibrium can be obtained by fully solving the Gibbs conditions since the components in the L and G phases are completely different. We also discuss the effects of surface and the Coulomb interaction on the mixed phase.