Multi-messenger probes of neutron rich matter

TL;DR

This paper reviews how multi-messenger astronomy and laboratory experiments are advancing our understanding of neutron-rich matter, crucial for nuclear physics and astrophysics, through observations of neutron stars, gravitational waves, and nuclear experiments.

Contribution

It synthesizes recent developments in observational and experimental tools to probe neutron-rich matter, highlighting the interplay between astrophysical data and laboratory experiments.

Findings

Neutron star crust is very strong and can support detectable gravitational waves.

Parity violating electron scattering measures neutron radii, informing neutron star models.

Multi-messenger observations will deepen understanding of dense QCD phases and element origins.

Abstract

At very high densities, electrons react with protons to form neutron rich matter. This material is central to many fundamental questions in nuclear physics and astrophysics. Moreover, neutron rich matter is being studied with an extraordinary variety of new tools such as the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) and the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO). We describe the Lead Radius Experiment (PREX) that uses parity violating electron scattering to measure the neutron radius in $^{208}$Pb. This has important implications for neutron stars and their crusts. We discuss X-ray observations of neutron star radii. These also have important implications for neutron rich matter. Gravitational waves (GW) open a new window on neutron rich matter. They come from sources such as neutron star mergers, rotating neutron star mountains, and collective r-mode oscillations. Using large scale molecular dynamics simulations, we find neutron star crust to be very strong. It can support mountains on rotating neutron stars large enough to generate detectable gravitational waves. We believe that combing astronomical observations using photons, GW, and neutrinos, with laboratory experiments on nuclei, heavy ion collisions, and radioactive beams will fundamentally advance our knowledge of compact objects in the heavens, the dense phases of QCD, the origin of the elements, and of neutron rich matter.