Microscopic mass models for astrophysics

We review the various microscopic mass models based on effective interactions that have been developed in recent years, primarily with a view to extrapolation from the mass data to the highly neutron-rich environments that are encountered in various astrophysical contexts but that are experimentally inaccessible. All these models are based on the Hartree–Fock–Bogoliubov method, and use either Skyrme-type or Gogny-type effective interactions; they are likewise all constrained by many-body calculations on neutron matter with realistic nucleonic interactions.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload high-quality image (136 K)Download as PowerPoint slideHighlights•We highlight the various microscopic mass models based on effective interactions that have been developed in recent years, primarily with a view to extrapolation from the mass data to the highly neutron-rich environments that are encountered in various astrophysical contexts but that are experimentally inaccessible.•All these models are based on the Hartree–Fock–Bogoliubov method, and use either Skyrme-type or Gogny-type effective interactions.•They are likewise all constrained by many-body calculations on neutron matter with realistic nucleonic interactions.