RUI: Investigating Phases of Cosmic Matter with Neutron Star Seismology

研究中子星的性质有助于我们更好地理解控制亚原子物质结构的微观核力。中子星也可能包含新形式的物质，比如暗物质，人们认为暗物质约占宇宙物质的27%，以及表现出独特集体行为的物质，比如超流动性。这个项目将有助于发现这种新的物质状态，它们的独特特征可以通过仔细检查来自中子星的多信使天文信号来揭示。具体来说，PI将使用数学和计算方法来量化中子星组成如何影响引力波等可观测物。除了发现物质和能量的新状态（这是科学中最大的未解问题之一）之外，PI还将指导几名来自不同背景的研究生，并在当地高中开展协同推广活动，以促进早期STEM学习。正如日震学已被证明是约束太阳理论模型和揭示标准模型物理学之外的强大工具一样，中子星地震学的发展领域可以揭示强或弱相互作用物质的新形式及其在极端条件下的行为。PI和他的学生将量化中子星的某些非径向模式的光谱，这种模式被称为g模式，对温度和成分特别敏感，目的是建立明显密集的强相互作用物质与中子星合并或核心坍缩超新星产生的引力波之间的联系。此外，PI和他的学生将研究玻色凝聚物和暗物质外合物对中子星振荡的影响，目的是限制凝聚物分数、暗物质粒子质量及其与强作用力扇区的相互作用。该项目推进了“宇宙之窗：多信使天体物理学时代”的目标，这是美国国家科学基金会未来投资的十大理念之一。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Studying the properties of neutron stars helps us to better understand microscopic nuclear forces that govern the structure of sub-atomic matter. Neutron stars can also contain new forms of matter, such as dark matter, which is thought to make up about 27% of the matter in the Universe, and matter that displays unique collective behavior like superfluidity. This project will help in the discovery of such new states of matter, whose distinct features can be revealed by close examination of multi-messenger astronomical signals from neutron stars. Specifically, the PI will use mathematical and computational methods to quantify how neutron star composition affects observables such as gravitational waves. In addition to discovering new states of matter and energy, which is one of the biggest unanswered questions in Science, the PI will mentor several graduate students from diverse backgrounds and conduct synergistic outreach activities in local high schools to promote STEM learning from an early age.Just as helioseismology has proven to be a powerful tool to constrain theoretical models of the Sun and uncover beyond standard model physics, the growing field of neutron star seismology can reveal novel forms of strongly or weakly interacting matter and their behavior under extreme conditions. The PI and his students will quantify the spectrum of certain non-radial modes of neutron stars, called g-modes, that are particularly sensitive to temperature and composition, with the aim of establishing the link between manifest dense strongly interacting matter and its signature in gravitational waves resulting from neutron star mergers or core-collapse supernovae. In addition, the PI and his students will study the impact on neutron star oscillations of Bose condensates and dark matter admixtures, with the aim of constraining the condensate fraction, dark matter particle mass and its interactions with the strong force sector.This project advances the objectives of "Windows on the Universe: the Era of Multi-Messenger Astrophysics", one of the 10 Big Ideas for Future NSF Investments.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.