A unified equation of state of dense matter and neutron star structure

An equation of state (EOS) of neutron star matter, describing both the neutron star crust and the liquid core, is calculated. It is based on the effective nuclear interaction SLy of the Skyrme type, which is particularly suitable for the application to the calculation of the properties of very neutron rich matter (Chabanat et al. 1997, 1998). The structure of the crust, and its EOS, is calculated in the T = 0 approximation, and under the assumption of the ground state composition. The crust-core transition is a very weakly first-order phase transition, with relative density jump of about one percent. The EOS of the liquid core is calculated assuming (minimal) npe mu composition. Parameters of static neutron stars are calculated and compared with existing observational data on neutron stars. The minimum and maximum masses of static neutron stars are 0.094 M(circle dot) and 2.05 M(circle dot), respectively. Effects of rotation on the minimum and the maximum mass of neutron stars are briefly discussed.