Looking inside accreting neutron stars
Andrew Cumming
McGill University
We are living in interesting times for studies of neutron star interiors. With the
discovery of two solar mass neutron stars and upcoming observations set to determine
the moment of inertia and neutron star radius, the constraints on the equation of
state of dense matter are tightening. In this talk, I will discuss these constraints
and how we can go beyond them to get a closer look at the physics inside neutron
stars. Accreting neutron stars are particularly interesting in this respect, because
the accreted material explores the full range of physical conditions as it is
compressed from the density of water at the neutron star surface to multiple times
the nuclear density in the neutron star core. I will discuss the different pieces of
physics we can constrain with observations of transiently accreting neutron stars in
quiescence, when accretion has turned off and we can see emission from the neutron
star directly. This includes the extremely neutron rich nuclei, superfluid neutrons,
and nuclear pasta phases in the neutron star crust, and the heat capacity of the
neutron star core.
Date: | Thursday, 19 November 2015 |
Time: | 11:30 |
Where: | Université de Montréal |
| Pavillon Roger-Gaudry, local D-460 |
Contact: | Julie Hlavacek-Larrondo |
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