March 21st
when: Thursday 21/3/2019, 10:15
where: KE E-541 (møterom)
speaker: Tyler Gorda (University of Virginia)
title: On the properties of dense QCD matter in neutron stars
abstract:
Neutron stars (NSs) contain the densest observable matter in the universe.. Within their cores lies QCD matter compressed to multiple times the density of common nuclei. Unfortunately, this matter is too dense to be studied from first-principles nuclear calculations, and not dense enough to be studied using first-principles perturbative QCD calculations. In this talk, I will outline the current probes that we have (or expect to soon have) of this matter, and I will discuss our work to use current robust astrophysical observations and theoretical calculations to constrain the equation of state (EOS) of NS matter. Using interpolating functions to parametrize our ignorance of the EOS between the extremes of nuclear and quark matter, we are not only able to place bounds on the allowed region in pressure and energy density where the EOS of NS matter must lie, but we are also able to draw conclusions about the physical properties of this matter, such as whether NSs are dense enough to contain quark matter in their cores.