Non-congruent phase transitions in strongly interacting matter within the Quantum van der Waals model

The non-congruent liquid-gas phase transition (LGPT) in asymmetric nuclear matter is studied using the recently developed Quantum van der Waals model in the grand canonical ensemble. Different values of the electric-to-baryon charge ratio, $Q/B$, are considered. This non-congruent LGPT exhibits several features which are not present in the congruent LGPT of symmetric nuclear matter. These include a continuous phase transformation, a change in the location of the critical point, and the separation of the critical point and the endpoints. The effects which are associated with the non-congruent LGPT become negligible for the following cases: when $Q/B$ approaches its limiting values, $0.5$ or $0$, or if quantum statistical effects can be neglected. The latter situation is realized when the particle degeneracy attains large values, $g\gtrsim 10$.