Title: Multi-Messenger Probes of the Neutron Star Equation of State
Abstract:
Neutron stars contain the densest stable matter in the universe. Since the first detection of gravitational waves from a binary neutron star merger in 2017, we have entered an era of multi-messenger observations of these extreme objects and their transients. However, the interpretation of these new types of data also poses new challenges for theorists working to develop a unified understanding of the dense-matter physics that governs neutron stars across a wide range of settings -- from the cold, equilibrium conditions of an isolated neutron star, to the hot and dynamical environment following a merger. In this talk, I will discuss a theoretical framework for connecting astrophysical observations of neutron stars to the microphysics of their interior structure. I will discuss what we have learned about the dense-matter equation of state from the first observations of neutron star mergers, and what we hope to learn from current and upcoming experiments over the next decade. Along the way, I will present results from numerical simulations of neutron star mergers to highlight some of the key open questions and challenges that lie ahead.
