Phases of dense matter inside neutron stars and strategies to observe them

Sanjay Reddy, University of Washington

Neutron stars (NS) have been touted as laboratories for studying matter at extreme density since their discovery more than 50 years ago. I will describe how advances in theory, simulations, and experiments are finally allowing us to interpret of recent x-ray observations of NSs in terms of fundamental physics of high density matter. After a brief introduction to the phases of dense matter at supra nuclear density I will discuss the equation of state of dense neutron-rich matter and its relation to the the neutron star radius and properties of neutron-rich nuclei. In addition, I will discuss theoretical interpretation of observed transient thermal phenomena in accreting NSs and its implications for thermal and transport properties at extreme density and relatively low temperature.