X-ray Pulsars and the Search for the Supra-nuclear Equation of State
Sharon Morsink, Univ. of Alberta
Abstract:
Neutron stars are tiny stars with ultra-strong magnetic and gravitational fields and densities larger than nuclear. Their small size and large
average densities allow them to spin at very rapid rates, with surface velocities that are a large fraction of the speed of light. In the last
10 years a new class of rapidly-rotating accreting X-ray pulsars has been discovered. I will explain why observations of this type of pulsar
have the potential to constrain the properties of supra-nuclear density matter and
will give an overview of recent observations and theoretical work on this problem.