Speaker
Description
We investigate the properties of non-accreted crusts of neo-neutron stars, i.e., of inhomogeneous subsaturation warm dense matter in beta equilibrium. We present two novel results and one known, but frequently ignored property of such matter. The new features include: the presence of an exotic light nucleus, $^{14}$He, starting from the baryon density of $\approx~0.01~$fm$^{-3}$ and up to the density of the transition to homogeneous matter; an instability with respect to diffusion (buoyancy) in the inner crusts of isolated neo-neutron stars in some models. We also demonstrate and emphasize that nuclear matter with electrons is thermodynamically stable and does not have a first-order phase transition between inhomogeneous and homogeneous phases.
