Eur. Phys. J. A (2017) 53: 96
https://doi.org/10.1140/epja/i2017-12297-2

Regular Article - Theoretical Physics

Microscopic study of ¹S₀ superfluidity in dilute neutron matter

¹ Physics Department, Division of Nuclear and Particle Physics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, GR-15771, Athens, Greece
² Department of Theoretical Physics, Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124, Thessaloniki, Greece
³ McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences and Department of Physics, Washington University, 63130, St. Louis, MO, USA
⁴ Center for Mathematical Sciences, University of Madeira, 9000-390, Funchal, Portugal

^* e-mail: gepavlou@phys.uoa.gr

Received: 6 December 2016
Accepted: 28 April 2017
Published online: 17 May 2017

Abstract

Singlet S -wave superfluidity of dilute neutron matter is studied within the correlated BCS method, which takes into account both pairing and short-range correlations. First, the equation of state (EOS) of normal neutron matter is calculated within the Correlated Basis Function (CBF) method in the lowest cluster order using the ¹ S ₀ and ³ P components of the Argonne potential, assuming trial Jastrow-type correlation functions. The ¹ S ₀ superfluid gap is then calculated with the corresponding component of the Argonne potential and the optimally determined correlation functions. The dependence of our results on the chosen forms for the correlation functions is studied, and the role of the P -wave channel is investigated. Where comparison is meaningful, the values obtained for the ¹ S ₀ gap within this simplified scheme are consistent with the results of similar and more elaborate microscopic methods.