Gravity seminar - Alexander Haber Seminar

Abstract: Neutron stars and their mergers present a unique opportunity for the investigation of fundamental matter described by the standard model of particle physics, nuclear physics, and even beyond the standard model physics. Only by improving the microscopic physics implemented in simulations of general relativity can we decode the governing forces of nuclear and particle physics imprinted in the merger signal. In this talk, I will focus on the effects of flavor equilibration on neutron star mergers and the resulting bulk viscosity. I will present simulation results that take chemical equilibration in dense matter into account, laying the groundwork for using transport to investigate dense matter in binary neutron star mergers. Furthermore, I will present a new approach to developing and constraining microphysical nuclear models for dense matter that are needed as input for microphysical calculations.