Microscopic equation of state of hot nuclear matter for numerical relativity simulations

Abstract

Context. A precise understanding of the equation of state (EOS) of dense and hot matter is key to modeling relativistic astrophysical environments, including core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe), protoneutron star (PNSs) evolution, and compact binary mergers. Aims. In this paper, we extend the microscopic zero-temperature BL (Bombaci and Logoteta) nuclear EOS to finite temperature and arbitrary nuclear composition. We employ this new EOS to describe hot β-stable nuclear matter and to compute various structural properties of nonrotating PNS. We also apply the EOS to perform dynamical simulations of a spherically symmetric CCSN. Methods. The EOS is derived using the finite temperature extension of the Brueckner–Bethe–Goldstone quantum many-body theory in the Brueckner–Hartree–Fock approximation. Neutron star properties are computed by solving the Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff structure equations numerically. The sperically symmetric CCSN simulations are performed using the AGILE-IDSA code. Results. Our EOS models are able to reproduce typical features of both PNS and spherically symmetric CCSN simulations. In addition, our EOS model is consistent with present measured neutron star masses and particularly with the masses: M = 2.01 ± 0.04 M⊙ and M = 2.14−0.18+0.20 M⊙ of the neutron stars in PSR J0348+0432 and PSR J0740+6620 respectively. Finally, we suggest a feasible mechanism to produce low-mass black holes (M ∼ 2 M⊙) that could have far-reaching consequences for interpreting the gravitational wave event GW190814 as a BH–BH merger.