Events

Seminar of the Institute of Theoretical Physics of University of Wrocław

Using Thermal Emission from Neutron Stars to Constrain their Interiors

dr Craig Heinke

University of Alberta, Canada

Thermal X-rays from the surface of neutron stars reveal crucial information about the surfaces and interiors of these dense stars. I will explain our understanding of thermal emission from low-magnetic-field neutron stars. I will give illustrations of how we can use this thermal emission to understand the cooling of young and old neutron stars, including the Cas A neutron star (which seems to show evidence of a superfluid transition in its core). Finally, I will discuss efforts to constrain the neutron star radius, through studying thermonuclear flashes, and from studying quiet neutron stars between accretion episodes in globular clusters, including new results.