nuclear pasta

From the resemblance of its phases to various types of pasta.

nuclear pasta (uncountable)

1. (astrophysics) A type of degenerate matter found within the crusts of neutron stars, where the competition between nuclear attraction and Coulomb repulsion forces of similar magnitude allows for the formation of a variety of complex structures assembled from neutrons and protons.
   • “Thermodynamic properties of nuclear "pasta" in neutron star crusts”, in Nuclear Physics A, volume 676, issue 1-4, August 2000, →DOI, pages 455–473
   • 2018 September 24, “Elasticity of Nuclear Pasta”, in Physical Review Letters‎, volume 121, number 13, →DOI, pages 132701:

     The elastic properties of neutron star crusts are relevant for a variety of currently observable or near-future electromagnetic and gravitational wave phenomena. These phenomena may depend on the elastic properties of nuclear pasta found in the inner crust.

   • 2013, “Too much "pasta" for pulsars to spin down”, in Nature Physics, volume 9, number 7, →Bibcode, →DOI, pages 431–434:

     The inner crust [of a neutron star] is where the nuclear pasta phase, a novel state of matter having nucleons arranged in a variety of complex shapes, is expected to appear. In the innermost layers near the crust/core boundary, because of the large effect of the Coulomb lattice energy, cylindrical and planar geometries can occur, both as nuclei and as bubbles. These phases are collectively named nuclear pasta (by analogy to the shape of spaghetti, maccaroni and lasagna).