Accurate nuclear symmetry energy at finite temperature within a BHF approach

Understand

We compute the free energy of asymmetric nuclear matter in a Brueckner-Hartree-Fock approach at finite temperature, paying particular attention to the dependence on isospin asymmetry.

• The first- and second-order symmetry energies are determined as functions of density and temperature and useful parametrizations are provided.
• We find small deviations from the quadratic isospin dependence and very small corresponding effects on (proto)neutron star structure.