Neutron star astrophysics

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Neutron stars are extreme astrophysical objects, 300,000 times as massive as the Earth and yet the size of small city. They offer a unique laboratory to study matter under conditions of high density, temperature, and magnetic fields: conditions that cannot be achieved in terrestrial laboratories. Born in the collapse of a massive star, they are also an important part of our understanding of the evolution of stars, especially the origins and evolution of their magnetic fields and rotation. We propose a program of theoretical work designed to directly address recent observations of both weakly and strongly magnetized neutron stars. The goal is to probe the extreme physics of these objects, particularly their magnetic field strength and geometry, their interior conditions, and nuclear burning properties on their surface.