Liquid drop model for nuclear matter in the low density limit

article Liquid drop model for nuclear matter in the low density limit epub_ahead Rupert L. Frank author Mathieu Lewin author Robert Seiringer author 4AFD0470-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A870000-0002-6781-0521 RoSe department We consider the liquid drop model with a positive background density in the thermodynamic limit. We prove a two-term asymptotics for the ground state energy per unit volume in the dilute limit. Our proof justifies the expectation that optimal configurations consist of droplets of unit size that arrange themselves according to minimizers for the Jellium problem for point particles. In particular, we provide the first rigorous derivation of what is known as the gnocchi phase in astrophysics. Wiley2026 eng Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics 0010-3640 1097-0312 2507.1401210.1002/cpa.70039 R. L. Frank, M. Lewin, and R. Seiringer, “Liquid drop model for nuclear matter in the low density limit,” Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics. Wiley, 2026. Frank RL, Lewin M, Seiringer R. 2026. Liquid drop model for nuclear matter in the low density limit. Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics. R.L. Frank, M. Lewin, R. Seiringer, Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics (2026). Frank, Rupert L., et al. “Liquid Drop Model for Nuclear Matter in the Low Density Limit.” Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics, Wiley, 2026, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/cpa.70039">10.1002/cpa.70039</a>. Frank, R. L., Lewin, M., & Seiringer, R. (2026). Liquid drop model for nuclear matter in the low density limit. Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics. Wiley. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/cpa.70039">https://doi.org/10.1002/cpa.70039</a> Frank, Rupert L., Mathieu Lewin, and Robert Seiringer. “Liquid Drop Model for Nuclear Matter in the Low Density Limit.” Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics. Wiley, 2026. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/cpa.70039">https://doi.org/10.1002/cpa.70039</a>. Frank RL, Lewin M, Seiringer R. Liquid drop model for nuclear matter in the low density limit. Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics. 2026. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/cpa.70039">10.1002/cpa.70039</a> 219332026-05-31T22:02:13Z2026-06-02T06:58:54Z