Seminar in Hadronic Physics

Quark matter in the cores of neutron stars

Aleksi Kurkela

University of Stavanger

Neutron stars are the densest astrophysical objects in the universe. Cores of neutron stars reach densities as high as those realized in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions where ordinary nuclear matter melts into a new phase of matter, quark matter. This naturally raises the question: does quark matter also exist inside neutron stars? In my talk, I describe how recent advancements in theory of superdense matter and in observations of neutron stars — such as the LIGO/Virgo detection of gravitational waves arising from a merger of two neutron stars — can inform us about what lies in the centers of neutron stars. I discuss how the different constraints point to the existence of quark matter cores in large neutron stars.