The microscopic composition and properties of stellar matter at a wide range of densities have been a subject of intense investigation for decades. In particular, compact objects such as hot proto-neutron and cold neutron stars have been in a for-front of interest. The scarcity of experimental and observational data has lead to the necessary reliance on theoretical models. Nuclear structure models play an important role in this effort as they provide an essential input to the equation of state, which is central to microscopic description of stellar objects.
I will survey the latest developments in construction of the Equation of State (EoS) of matter at zero and finite temperature assuming different mean-field models, including the non-relativistic Hartree-Fock + BCS Skyrme model relativistic mean field models. Predictions of Effective Density Functional, Quantum Monte Carlo and the Quark-Meson Coupling Model models for properties of neutron rich matter will be shown. Phase transitions between neutron star crust and core (the nuclear pasta phase) and between hadronic and quark matter in neutron star core will be discussed.
A direct connection between theoretical models of nuclear matter, compact objects and finite nuclei is a very important and not yet fully explored topic in nuclear and particle theory. This connection provides interesting constraints on theory and it future development is vital for progress in the field. I will comment and show some recent promising results along this direction.
