A basic cornerstone of modern physics is the quest to describe quantitatively the properties of nuclear matter. Neutron stars are unique beacons in this journey, as their interiors expose matter to extreme regimes of density, temperature and energy, not accessible to terrestrial experiments. Moreover, the intense gravitational fields in these astrophysical compact objects, particularly in binaries, could give rise to potentially detectable signals in the next generation of gravitational wave detectors. The astronomical observation of compact objects thus provides a unique insight into the properties of nuclear matter in extreme regimes. Better and more reliable theoretical tools and a more thorough modeling are required to interpret observations. Finally, one needs to connect present and future observation to the underlying microphysics associated to the strong interaction.
This international workshop aims at bringing together a number of historically disjointed research communities: nuclear physicists, astrophysicists and general relativists. Taking advantage of a multi-disciplinary environment, we plan to identify key issues in compact star physics and to develop strategies to make the most of the new generation of astronomical observatories, gravitational wave detectors and nuclear experiments.
SPEAKERS
Prof Mark Alford, Washington University in St Louis, USA
Prof Pawel Danielewicz, Michigan State University and National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, USA
Prof Nils Andersson, University of Southampton, UK
Prof Nikolaos Stergioulas, University of Thessalonika, Greece
Dr Patrick Sutton, University of Cardiff, UK
Dr Ben Stappers, University of Manchester, UK
ORGANISERS
Dr Arnau Rios, Department of Physics, University of Surrey
Dr Paul Stevenson, Department of Physics, University of Surrey
Dr David Ian Jones, Department of Mathematics, University of Southampton
