From Hypernuclei to Hypermatter: a Quantum Monte Carlo Study of Strangeness in Nuclear Structure and Nuclear Astrophysics

The work presents the recent developments in Quantum Monte Carlo calculations for nuclear systems including strange degrees of freedom. The Auxiliary Field Diffusion Monte Carlo algorithm has been extended to the strange sector by the inclusion of the lightest among the hyperons, the $\Lambda$ particle. This allows to perform detailed calculations for $\Lambda$ hypernuclei, providing a microscopic framework for the study of the hyperon-nucleon interaction in connection with the available experimental information. The extension of the method for strange neutron matter, put the basis for the first Diffusion Monte Carlo analysis of the hypernuclear medium, with the derivation of neutron star observables of great astrophysical interest.