The Nuclear Equation of State: a Tool to Constrain In-Medium Hadronic Interactions

Abstract. Recently we have been concerned with the properties of the nuclear equation of state (EOS), a relation between thermodynamic variables characterizing a medium. At zero temperature, such relation can be expressed in terms of energy (or pressure) as a function of density. Mechanisms such as isospin and/or spin asymmetry can have a dramatic impact on the equation of state. After briefly reviewing our previous work concerning the isospin asymmetries of the EOS, we will concentrate on our most recent results and their relevance towards a better understanding of the nuclear force in exotic matter. The approach we take is microscopic and relativistic. The calculated EOS properties are derived self-consistently from realistic nucleon-nucleon interactions. This makes it possible to understand the predictions in terms of specific features of the nuclear force model.