Astro Seminar: Anna Watts

Speaker : Anna Watts (University of Amsterdam)

Place : Auditorium A

Title: Mapping neutron stars: inside and out

Abstract:  Neutron stars have a rich and fascinating phenomenology. Their supranuclear density cores contain matter of incredible neutron-richness, and they may harbor stable states of strange matter. They have solid crusts threaded by the strongest magnetic fields in the Universe, and oceans where runaway thermonuclear reactions can lead to powerful explosions. Using X-ray astronomy and General Relativity, we are starting to map these stars, inside and out — generating new insight into both stellar evolution and fundamental physics.