Abstract
Neutron matter is an ideal laboratory for nuclear interactions derived from chiral effective field theory since all contributions are predicted up to next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order () in the chiral expansion. By making use of recent advances in the partial-wave decomposition of three-nucleon () forces, we include for the first time interactions in many-body perturbation theory (MBPT) up to third order and in self-consistent Green's function theory (SCGF). Using these two complementary many-body frameworks we provide improved predictions for the equation of state of neutron matter at zero temperature and also analyze systematically the many-body convergence for different chiral EFT interactions. Furthermore, we present an extension of the normal-ordering framework to finite temperatures. These developments open the way to improved calculations of neutron-rich matter including estimates of theoretical uncertainties for astrophysical applications.
- Received 19 August 2016
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevC.94.054307
©2016 American Physical Society