This award will fund a theoretical effort to model the outer layers of neutron stars. The principal goals of the research are (1) to generate models of the neutron star inner crust that will handle nuclear reactions with realistic treatment of nuclear composition; (2) to determine how the crust evolves in an accreting environment and to connect observed surface phenomena with the properties of the deep interior; and (3) make predictions about the extent to which the neutron star crust can be deformed in accretion and to compute the expected gravitational wave signals.
Neutron stars are the densest objects in the universe and knowledge of neutron star physics is growing rapidly, due to X-ray telescopes, laboratory nuclear experiments, and future gravitational wave detectors such as the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory. A recent National Academy report, "Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos: Eleven Science Questions for the New Century," identified the nature of matter at exceedingly high density and temperature as one of the eleven critical science questions for the 21st century.
