Leptonic contribution to the bulk viscosity of nuclear matter
Leptonic contribution to the bulk viscosity of nuclear matter
For $\ensuremath{\beta}$-equilibrated nuclear matter we estimate the contribution to the bulk viscosity from purely leptonic processes, namely the conversion of electrons to and from muons. For oscillation frequencies in the kilohertz range, we find that this process provides the dominant contribution to the bulk viscosity when the temperature is well …