Papers in this group
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Supernovae are nature's grandest explosions and an astrophysical laboratory in which unique conditions exist that are not achievable on Earth. They are also the furnaces in which most of the elements heavier than carbon have been forged. Scientists…
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The current picture of the collapse and explosion of massive stars and the formation of neutron stars is reviewed. According to the favored scenario, however by no means proven and undisputed, neutrinos deposit the energy of the explosion in the…
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During the first 20 s of its life, the enormous neutrino luminosity of a neutron star drives appreciable mass loss from its surface. Previous investigations have shown that this neutrino-driven wind could be the site where the r-process occurs. The…
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We discuss simulations of the coalescence of black hole-neutron star binary systems with black hole masses between 14 and 20 M. The calculations use a three-dimensional smoothed particle hydrodynamics code, a temperature-dependent, nuclear equation…
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As a neutron star is formed by the collapse of the iron core of a massive star, its Kelvin-Helmholtz evolution is characterized by the release of gravitational binding energy as neutrinos. The interaction of these neutrinos with heated material…
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Rapid Cooling of the Neutron Star in Cassiopeia A Triggered by Neutron Superfluidity in Dense MatterWe propose that the observed cooling of the neutron star in Cassiopeia A is due to enhanced neutrino emission from the recent onset of the breaking and formation of neutron Cooper pairs in the 3P2 channel. We find that the critical temperature for…
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The current cosmological paradigm, LCDM, requires that the mass-energy of the universe be dominated by invisible components: dark matter and dark energy. An alternative to these dark components is that the law of gravity be modified on the relevant…
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It is not as easy as you would think. Models of supernovae have failed to reproduce these explosions—until recently
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Pulsars, generally accepted to be rotating neutron stars, are dense, neutron-packed remnants of massive stars that blew apart in supernova explosions. They are typically about 10 kilometers across and spin rapidly, often making several hundred…
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This book deals with neutrino physics and astrophysics - a field in which some of the most exciting recent developments in particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology took place. The book is the most up-to-date, comprehensive and self-contained…
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The constancy of frequency in the recently discovered pulsed radio sources can be accounted for by the rotation of a neutron star. Because of the strong magnetic fields and high rotation speeds, relativistic velocities will be set up in any plasma…
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Although there are still many problems concerning the supernovae, there is little doubt that a very dense stellar core has to be left behind after the explosion (at least in some cases). During the contraction of this core, inverse reactions take…
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Based upon previous discussions on the structure of compact stars geared towards undergraduate physics students, a real experiment involving two upper-level undergraduate physics students, a beginning physics graduate and two advanced graduate…
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We report on an undergraduate student project initiated in the summer semester of 2004 with the aim to establish equations of state for white dwarfs and neutron stars for computing mass-radius relations as well as corresponding maximum masses.…
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Unusual signals from pulsating radio sources have been recorded at the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory. The radiation seems to come from local objects within the galaxy, and may be associated with oscillations of white dwarf or neutron stars.
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Neutron stars are composed of the densest form of matter known to exist in our Universe, the composition and properties of which are still theoretically uncertain. Measurements of the masses or radii of these objects can strongly constrain the…
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White dwarfs, neutron stars, and (solar mass) black holes are the collapsed cores of stars which, near the ends of their luminous lives, have shed most of their mass in supernova explosions or other, less spectacular, instabilities. Here gravity…
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The physical properties of the astronomical compact objects are explored on a theoretical and observational basis in a textbook designed for a one-semester beginning-graduate-level astrophysics course. Overlapping topics from solid-state, nuclear,…