Physics of Neutron Stars

Neutron stars are extreme laboratories of physics! You can learn more about the science of neutron stars on this page.

Introduction

Neutron stars (NSs) and their surroundings constitute one of the most extreme environments in the present-day Universe. With core densities exceeding the nuclear saturation density manyfold and magnetars hosting magnetic fields reaching tens of Schwinger fields, these exotic objects serve as unique laboratories for dense nuclear matter, relativistic plasmas, and strong gravity. A quantitative understanding of NSs and their binary mergers is indeed expected to hold the key to solving several fundamental-physics mysteries from the structure of the Quantum Chromodynamics phase diagram to the origin of heavy elements and fast radio bursts.

Today, we are witnessing the dawn of a new precision era in NS physics. The quality and quantity of observational data are expected to dramatically increase with third-generation gravitational-wave observatories and planned X-ray missions, such as the Einstein Telescope, IXPE and eXTP, while new data on exotic nuclei will be available with state-of-the-art nuclear-physics instruments and laboratories. Add to this recent breakthroughs in ab-initio calculations and improvements in computational facilities, both increasing the accuracy of numerical simulations, now is the time to address the next-generation problems of NS physics.