Light clusters, pasta phases, and phase transitions in core-collapse supernova matter

Abstract

The pasta phase in core-collapse supernova matter (finite temperatures and fixed proton fractions) is studied within relativistic mean-field models. Three different calculations are used for comparison: the Thomas--Fermi, the coexisting phases, and the compressible liquid drop approximations. The effects of including light clusters in nuclear matter and the densities at which the transitions between pasta configurations and to uniform matter occur are also investigated. The free energy, pressure, entropy, and chemical potentials in the range of particle number densities and temperatures expected to cover the pasta region are calculated. Finally, a comparison with a finite-temperature Skyrme--Hartree--Fock calculation is drawn.