Astroplasmas Seminar

Next seminar 

Friday, September 5, 12:30 pm, Dome Room, Peyton Hall

Title: Neutron stars in Full Color: Unifying Multi-messenger Echoes to Reveal Nature’s Densest Matter

Speaker: Chun Huang (Washington University in St. Louis)

Abstract: What neutron stars are made of remains one of the biggest mysteries in science. Despite a wealth of observations, we still lack a coherent framework that synthesizes these data to probe their interiors. During my doctoral research, I tackled this challenge head-on. I will present a new X-ray analysis framework grounded in modern plasma physics that delivers a more realistic, physically motivated emission model. To break through long-standing computational bottlenecks, I lead the development of an accelerated software package that boosts analysis speed by three orders of magnitude. I also convened a small international collaboration—CompactObject—that bridges cutting-edge nuclear theory with astrophysical observations and experiments. Finally, I will outline a roadmap for the multi-messenger future of neutron-star physics, charting a path toward a rigorous, falsifiable framework capable of unveiling the fundamental makeup of matter at the cores of these extraordinary objects.

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