Pulsars As Astrophysical Laboratories For Nuclear And Particle Physics

Pulsars, generally accepted to be rotating neutron stars, are dense, neutron-packed remnants of massive stars that blew apart in supernova explosions. They are typically about 10 kilometers across and spin rapidly, often making several hundred rotations per second. Depending on star mass, gravity compresses the matter in the cores of pulsars up to more than ten times the density of ordinary atomic nuclei, thus providing a high-pressure environment in which numerous particle processes, from hyperon population to quark deconfinement to the formation of Boson condensates, may compete with each other. There are theoretical suggestions of even more ""exotic"" processes inside pulsars, such as the formation of absolutely stable strange quark matter, a configuration of matter even more stable than the most stable atomic nucleus, ^T56Fe. In the latter event, pulsars would be largely composed of pure quark matter, eventually enveloped in nuclear crust matter. These features combined with the tremendous recent progress in observational radio and x-ray astronomy make pulsars nearly ideal probes for a wide range of physical studies, complementing the quest of the behavior of superdense matter in terrestrial collider experiments. Written by an eminent author, Pulsars as Astrophysical Laboratories for Nuclear and Particle Physics gives a reliable account of the present status of such research, which naturally is to be performed at the interface between nuclear physics, particle physics, and Einstein's theory of relativity.

The discovery 25 years ago of the remarkable astronomical objects known as pulsars--and their identification as neutron stars--fulfilled a prediction made more than 30 years earlier. Over 550 pulsars are now known, almost all detected at radio frequencies which capture their distinctive bursts of electromagnetic energy. These pulse periods range from 1.5 milliseconds to several seconds. Most pulsars are single neutron stars but they can also exist in a binary orbit with a companion. Observations have revealed a wealth of detail about the structure and evolution of pulsars and the pulse-emission process, giving new insight into the behavior of matter in the presence of extreme gravitational and electromagnetic fields. In fact, pulsars have unique physical properties which make them nearly ideal as probes for a wide range of physical studies. This volume gathers together up-to-date findings in this area, representing a valuable resource for theoretical and particle physicists as well astrophysicists and astronomers. The contributors are recognized experts in the field, and include such well-known authorities as Joe Taylor who describes his Nobel-Prize winning work (Physics 1993).

Pulsars, generally accepted to be rotating neutron stars, are dense, neutron-packed remnants of massive stars that blew apart in supernova explosions. They are typically about 10 kilometers across and spin rapidly, often making several hundred rotations per second. Depending on star mass, gravity compresses the matter in the cores of pulsars up to more than ten times the density of ordinary atomic nuclei, thus providing a high-pressure environment in which numerous particle processes, from hyperon population to quark deconfinement to the formation of Boson condensates, may compete with each other. There are theoretical suggestions of even more ""exotic"" processes inside pulsars, such as the formation of absolutely stable strange quark matter, a configuration of matter even more stable than the most stable atomic nucleus, ^T56Fe. In the latter event, pulsars would be largely composed of pure quark matter, eventually enveloped in nuclear crust matter. These features combined with the tremendous recent progress in observational radio and x-ray astronomy make pulsars nearly ideal probes for a wide range of physical studies, complementing the quest of the behavior of superdense matter in terrestrial collider experiments. Written by an eminent author, Pulsars as Astrophysical Laboratories for Nuclear and Particle Physics gives a reliable account of the present status of such research, which naturally is to be performed at the interface between nuclear physics, particle physics, and Einstein's theory of relativity.

Neutron stars are the most compact astronomical objects in the universe which are accessible by direct observation. Studying neutron stars means studying physics in regimes unattainable in any terrestrial laboratory. Understanding their observed complex phenomena requires a wide range of scientific disciplines, including the nuclear and condensed matter physics of very dense matter in neutron star interiors, plasma physics and quantum electrodynamics of magnetospheres, and the relativistic magneto-hydrodynamics of electron-positron pulsar winds interacting with some ambient medium. Not to mention the test bed neutron stars provide for general relativity theories, and their importance as potential sources of gravitational waves. It is this variety of disciplines which, among others, makes neutron star research so fascinating, not only for those who have been working in the field for many years but also for students and young scientists. The aim of this book is to serve as a reference work which not only reviews the progress made since the early days of pulsar astronomy, but especially focuses on questions such as: "What have we learned about the subject and how did we learn it?", "What are the most important open questions in this area?" and "What new tools, telescopes, observations, and calculations are needed to answer these questions?". All authors who have contributed to this book have devoted a significant part of their scientific careers to exploring the nature of neutron stars and understanding pulsars. Everyone has paid special attention to writing educational comprehensive review articles with the needs of beginners, students and young scientists as potential readers in mind. This book will be a valuable source of information for these groups.

What is the Universe made of? How old is it? How does a supernova explode? Can we detect black holes? And where do cosmic rays originate? This volume provides a comprehensive and pedagogical introduction to modern ideas and challenging problems in nuclear and particle astrophysics. Based on a graduate school, specially written articles by eight leading experts cover a wealth of exciting topics, including the search for black holes, nucleosynthesis and neutrino transport in supernovae, the physics of neutron stars, massive neutrinos, cosmic ray physics and astrophysics, and physical cosmology. Together, they present the Universe as a laboratory for testing cutting-edge physics and bridge the gap between conference proceedings and specialised monographs. This volume provides an invaluable resource for graduate students and active researchers in nuclear and particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology.

Over the last decade, astrophysical observations of neutron stars — both as isolated and binary sources — have paved the way for a deeper understanding of the structure and dynamics of matter beyond nuclear saturation density. The mapping between astrophysical observations and models of dense matter based on microscopic dynamics has been poorly investigated so far. However, the increased accuracy of present and forthcoming observations may be instrumental in resolving the degeneracy between the predictions of different equations of state. Astrophysical and laboratory probes have the potential to paint to a new coherent picture of nuclear matter — and, more generally, strong interactions — over the widest range of densities occurring in the Universe. This book provides a self-contained account of neutron star properties, microscopic nuclear dynamics and the recent observational developments in multimessenger astronomy. It also discusses the unprecedented possibilities to shed light on long standing and fundamental issues, such as the validity of the description of matter in terms of pointlike baryons and leptons and the appearance of deconfined quarks in the high density regime. It will be of interest to researchers and advanced PhD students working in the fields of Astrophysics, Gravitational Physics, Nuclear Physics and Particle Physics. Key Features: Reviews state-of-the-art theoretical and experimental developments Self-contained and cross-disciplinary While being devoted to a very lively and fast developing field, the book fundamentally addresses methodological issues. Therefore, it will not be subject to fast obsolescence. Omar Benhar is an INFN Emeritus Research Director, and has been teaching Relativistic Quantum Mechanics, Quantum Electrodynamics and Structure of Compact Stars at “Sapienza” University of Rome for over twenty years. He has worked extensively in the United States, and since 2013 has served as an adjunct professor at the Center for Neutrino Physics of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Prof. Benhar has authored or co-authored three textbooks on Relativistic Quantum Mechanics, Gauge Theories, and Structure and Dynamics of Compact Stars, and published more than one hundred scientific papers on the theory of many-particle systems, the structure of compact stars and the electroweak interactions of nuclei. Alessandro Lovato is a physicist at Argonne National Laboratory and an INFN researcher in Trento. His research in theoretical nuclear physics focuses on consistently modeling the self-emerging properties of atomic nuclei and neutron-star matter in terms of the microscopic interactions among the constituent protons and neutrons. He has co-authored more than eighty scientific publications on the theory of many-particle systems, the structure of compact stars, and the electroweak interactions of nuclei. He is at the forefront of high-performance computing applied to solving the quantum many-body problem. Andrea Maselli is an Associate Professor at the Gran Sasso Science Institute, in L’Aquila, where he teaches Gravitation and Cosmology and Physics of Black Hole. His research focuses on strong gravity, which plays a crucial role in many astrophysical phenomena involving black hole and neutron stars, representing natural laboratories to test fundamental physics. Prof. Maselli has co-authored more than eighty scientific papers on the modelling of black holes and neutron stars in General Relativity and extension thereof, their gravitational wave emission, and on tests of gravity in the strong filed regime. He is active in various collaborations aimed at developing next generation of gravitational wave detectors, such as the LISA satellite, the Einstein Telescope, and the Lunar Gravitational Wave Antenna. Francesco Pannarale is an Associate Professor at “Sapienza” Univeristy of Rome, where he teaches Gravitational Waves, Compact Objects and Black Holes, Computing Methods for Physics, and Electromagnetism. His research interests are in gravitational-wave physics and multimessenger astronomy, and they range from modelling compact binary sources to data analysis. He has co-authored over one hundred and eighty scientific publications and was at the forefront of the joint observation of GW170817 and GRB 170817A. He is currently serving as co-chair of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Data Analysis Council.

A whole decades research collated, organised and synthesised into one single book! Following a 60-page review of the seminal treatises of Misner, Thorne, Wheeler and Weinberg on general relativity, Glendenning goes on to explore the internal structure of compact stars, white dwarfs, neutron stars, hybrids, strange quark stars, both the counterparts of neutron stars as well as of dwarfs. This is a self-contained treatment and will be of interest to graduate students in physics and astrophysics as well as others entering the field.