Appearance of the single gyroid network phase in “nuclear pasta” matter

Abstract

Nuclear matter under the conditions of a supernova explosion unfolds into a rich variety of spatially structured phases, called nuclear pasta. We investigate the role of periodic network-like structures with negatively curved interfaces in nuclear pasta structures, by static and dynamic Hartree-Fock simulations in periodic lattices. As the most prominent result, we identify for the first time the {\it single gyroid} network structure of cubic chiral $I4_123$ symmetry, a well known configuration in nanostructured soft-matter systems, both as a dynamical state and as a cooled static solution. Single gyroid structures form spontaneously in the course of the dynamical simulations. Most of them are isomeric states. The very small energy differences to the ground state indicate its relevance for structures in nuclear pasta.