Connecting the Lab to Cosmos: Probing the Densest Matter in the Universe with Jaki Noronha-Hostler

What are the properties of the densest matter in the universe? This question can either be answered via gravitational waves from binary neutron star mergers, astrophysical observations of neutron stars, or in the laboratory using relativistic heavy-ion collisions. The densities reached in these systems are equivalent to taking the mass of the sun and squeezing it into the size of San Francisco. 

At these extreme densities it may be possible to squeeze matter into its tiniest building blocks of matter, called quarks and gluons. In all other matter in the universe, quarks and gluons are "confined'' within hadrons like protons and neutrons. A quark core within a neutron star would be particularly important because it would be the only place in the universe where quarks are be deconfined in a stable environment. To search for the existence of a quark core in a neutron star, we explore joint analyses comparing astrophysical data and lab experiments. These analyses find a surprising feature in the speed of sound that approaches the speed of light. 

This lecture was made possible by the William C. Ferguson Fund