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Physical Society Colloquium
Madappa Prakash
Department of Physics and Astronomy New and future observations of neutron stars in X-ray, ultraviolet, and optical energies have the potential to unravel the properties of dense neutron-star matter. In particular, the discovery of the isolated neutron star RX J185635-3754 (Nature, 379 (1996) 233 & 389 (1997) 358) and, subsequently, of many other isolated neutron stars, has opened up the possibility for the first-ever measurement of the radius of a neutron star through measurements of its thermal emission, parallax, and proper motion using the Hubble Space Telescope. I will highlight some of the recent observational and theoretical developments in these areas with a view towards exploring ramifications for astronomy, astrophysics, and nuclear physics, and towards constraining theory from observations.
Friday, November 12th 1999, 15:30 |