Phase Transition Phenomenology with Nonparametric Representations of the Neutron Star Equation of State

Understand

Astrophysical observations of neutron stars probe the structure of dense nuclear matter and have the potential to reveal phase transitions at high densities.

• Most recent analyses are based on parametrized models of the equation of state with a finite number of parameters and occasionally include extra parameters intended to capture phase transition phenomenology.
• However, such models restrict the types of behavior allowed and may not match the true equation of state.
• We introduce a complementary approach that extracts phase transitions directly from the equation of state without relying on, and thus being restricted by, an underlying parametrization.