Sensitivity of the dense matter equation of state to nuclear matter incompressibility in asymmetric systems
Phys. Rev. C 114, 015803 – Published 6 July, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/4yg6-fy4m
Abstract
This study explores the sensitivity of the equation of state (EoS) of dense asymmetric nuclear matter on the nuclear matter incompressibility and assesses the corresponding effects on the structural properties of neutron stars. To isolate the effect of , we employ six relativistic mean-field parameter sets in which is systematically varied over the range 200–300 MeV, while the slope of symmetry energy is constrained to a fixed value, ensuring that the observed variations arise primarily from incompressibility. The resulting parameter sets are calibrated to reproduce ground-state properties of finite nuclei and bulk properties of symmetric nuclear matter. The corresponding EoSs for -stable matter are then employed to evaluate several neutron-star properties. We find that affects the stiffness of the EoS at suprasaturation densities, primarily through modifications in higher-order density derivatives such as the skewness parameter . Larger values of lead to a stiffer EoS, resulting in systematically larger radii and tidal deformabilities, while the maximum mass shows comparatively weaker sensitivity. The radius of a canonical neutron star and its associated dimensionless tidal deformability respond sensitively to changes in the incompressibility parameter. The neutron-star properties lie in the ranges , and , consistent with observational constraints from NICER measurements and gravitational-wave events such as GW170817 and GW190814. The softer EoSs corresponding to lower values show better agreement with recent bounds on tidal deformability. The present study demonstrates that nuclear incompressibility plays an important role in governing the high-density behavior of the EoS and the structural properties of neutron stars, providing a clearer connection between terrestrial nuclear matter constraints and astrophysical observations of compact stars.