Nikhil Sarin (Nordita Institute, Stockholm University): Mergers of neutron star binaries: a laboratory for nuclear physics and astrophysics

Thursday 30 May 2024, 10:30 → 11:30 Europe/Stockholm

Title: Mergers of neutron star binaries: a laboratory for nuclear physics and astrophysics
Speaker: Nikhil Sarin
Affiliation: Nordita Institute, Stockholm University
Time: Thursday 30th May 2024, 1030 to 1130
Location:  90103 Å

Abstract: Two neutron stars merge somewhere in the Universe approximately every 10 to 100 seconds, creating violent explosions potentially observable in gravitational waves and across the electromagnetic spectrum. The transformative coincident gravitational-wave and electromagnetic observations of the binary neutron star merger GW170817 gave invaluable insights into these cataclysmic collisions. In this talk, I will highlight what we learnt from this event about heavy-element nucleosynthesis, the behaviour of nuclear matter at supranuclear densities, and massive-star stellar evolution. I will also discuss what previous observations can constrain about the nature of other mergers and fundamental physics and look into the future and highlight what we can learn by maximising the value of different messengers in the gravitational-wave multi-messenger era.