Gravitational-Wave Research Seminar

The composition and structure of the densest matter in the Universe, located within neutron stars, is an open question with implications for astrophysics, nuclear theory and fundamental physics. The recent discovery of the most massive known pulsar, the detection of the first compact binary merger involving a neutron star since GW170817, and the first simultaneous neutron-star mass and radius measurement based on hotspot pulse-profile modeling have collectively shed new light on the neutron-star interior, potentially revealing hints about phase transitions, exotic matter and nuclear interactions. In this talk, I will describe how LIGO-Virgo compact binaries, NICER x-ray observations and radio timing of massive pulsars jointly impact our understanding of neutron-star matter.