Protons and neutrons in neutron star crusts form structures that resemble Italian food.

What is it about?

In neutron star crusts, protons and neutrons form structures that resemble Italian food (lasagna, spaghetti, etc) and thus are called "Nuclear Pasta". Here we study those shapes and find a mathematical manner to characterize them.

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Why is it important?

The shapes of the pasta are so capricious that it is hard to compare results from different models. The scheme proposed here can serve to characterize those shapes and compare results from different models. The article was selected for the spotlight by Physics: https://physics.aps.org/synopsis-for/10.1103/PhysRevC.86.055805

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