Centre of Excellence in Neutron-Star Physics

Vuorinen, Aleksi UH; Kankainen, Anu UJ; Kortelainen, Markus UJ; Nättilä, Joonas UH; Poutanen, Juri UT

Neutron stars – collapsed remnants of massive stars – contain the densest matter in the observable Universe, with one teaspoon of their interiors weighing a staggering 10 million tons. Despite the extremely small size of neutron stars, in recent years a vast amount of data has been gathered on neutron stars and the matter they contain by means of gravitational-wave and X-ray observations.

The Centre of Excellence in Neutron-Star Physics will join nuclear, particle and astrophysics experts at Finnish universities to work on a common goal. The CoE’s aim is to better understand the structure and properties of neutron stars and to solve mysteries of fundamental physics related to stars. The research will focus, among other things, on the structure and dynamics of the neutron-star surface and magnetosphere, aiming to use them to solve the origins of heavy elements and fast radio bursts. In addition, the CoE will explore if a new phase of matter, quark matter, can be found inside neutron-star cores.