Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation Colloquium: Dr. Luciano Rezzolla - Binary Neutron Stars

Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation Colloquium
Binary Neutron Stars - from macroscopic collisions to microphysics
Dr. Luciano Rezzolla
Chair of Theoretical Astrophysics
Institute for Theoretical Physics, Goethe University

Registration for Zoom Link

Abstract:
I will argue that if black holes represent one the most fascinating implications of Einstein's theory of gravity, neutron stars in binary system are arguably its richest laboratory, where gravity blends with astrophysics and particle physics. I will discuss the rapid recent progress made in modelling these systems and show how the gravitational signal can provide tight constraints on the equation of state and sound speed for matter at nuclear densities, as well as on one of the most important consequences of general relativity for compact stars: the existence of a maximum mass. Finally, I will discuss how the merger may lead to a phase transition from hadronic to quark matter. Such a process would lead to a signature in the post-merger gravitational-wave signal and open an observational window on the production of quark matter in the present Universe.
 

Speaker Bio:
Luciano Rezzolla is an Italian theoretical astrophysicist. After obtaining his PhD in 1997 at SISSA in Trieste (Italy), he has spent several years in the USA before returning to SISSA as an Assistant Professor and later on as an Associate Professor. In 2006 he move to the Max-Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Potsdam (Germany) and since 2013 he is the Chair of Theoretical Astrophysics at the Institute for Theoretical Physics in Frankfurt (Germany). His main research topics are astrophysical compact objects such as black holes and neutron stars, which he investigates by means of numerical simulations on supercomputers. He is a member of the Executive Board of the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration (EHTC). He has written more than 300 articles, a well-known textbook ("Relativistic Hydrodynamics") and a public-outreach book ("The Irresistible Attraction of Gravity") that has been translated in several languages. He has received numerous prizes including the Karl Schwarzschild Prize, the Frankfurt Physics Prize, the Golden Seal of the University of Bari, the 2020 Breakthrough Prize for Fundamental Physics (with EHTC) and the Einstein Medal (with EHTC). Since 2019 he is the Andrews Professor in Astronomy at Trinity College, Dublin. He has received an ERC Synergy Grant (2014) and an ERC Advanced Grant (2021)

Intended Audience:
All are welcome. Those with interest in the topic.

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