Stony Brook University
7:30 pm; Friday, February 04, 2022
on-line via Zoom
The Latest Discoveries About Neutron Stars
Prof. Jim Lattimer
Neutron stars are fascinating and extreme objects that allow a unique view of dense matter physics. Apart from black holes, they are the densest macroscopic objects in the universe, and contain the highest temperatures and most powerful magnetic fields in the present-day universe. They are at the boundaries among astrophysics, gravitational wave physics, nuclear physics and quantum chromodynamics. Recent discoveries with the NICER X-ray telescope, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, and the LIGO/VIRGO gravitational wave observatories will be highlighted. In addition, recent nuclear physics experiments at Jefferson Laboratory involving Stony Brook physicists that have measured nuclear properties highly relevant to neutron stars will be discussed.
Prof. Lattimer, a Distinguished Professor in the Physics & Astronomy Department of Stony Brook University, is a long-time resident of East Setauket and a former Chairperson of the Earth and Space Sciences Department. He has received Sloan and Guggenheim Fellowships, is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, and has received their highest award in nuclear astrophysics, the Hans A. Bethe Prize. His outside interests include his grandchildren and ferroequinology.
