May 13, 2022 8-10PM

Event Type: Lecture and Stargazing
Title: Neutron Stars: Where Extreme Gravity Meets Extreme Matter
Lecturer: Katerina Chatziioannou
Position: Faculty
Institution: Caltech
Abstract:
Neutron stars are matter’s last stand in the battle against total collapse under the overwhelming force of gravity. With masses comparable to that of our Sun yet smaller in size than the island of Manhattan, neutron star interiors drive matter to extreme conditions with densities exceeding those found in the nuclei of atoms. These extreme conditions can only be described with our most advanced physics theories: Quantum Chromodynamics and General Relativity. At the same time, neutron stars are at the heart of some of the most energetic astronomical events we observe, from supernova explosions to collisions of neutron stars and black holes. I will describe what neutron stars are, what we know about them, and what we do not know but attempt to learn using collisions of neutron stars and black holes observed with gravitational waves.