Gravity Seminar - Understanding dynamics of superfluid and superconducting neutron stars, Dr Vanessa Graber (McGill University, Canada) Seminar

Event details

Neutron stars unite many extremes of physics and can serve as astrophysical laboratories that allow us to probe states of matter at densities which cannot be reached on Earth. One exciting example is the presence of superfluid and superconducting components in mature neutron stars. When developing mathematical models to describe these large-scale quantum condensates, physicists tend to focus on the interface between astrophysics and nuclear physics. Connections with low-temperature experiments are generally ignored. However, there has been significant progress in understanding laboratory condensates (from the different phases of superfluid helium to the entire range of superconductors and cold atom condensates). In this talk, I will compare the descriptions of laboratory condensates and neutron stars, and suggest several novel ways that we could make progress in understanding neutron star physics using low-temperature laboratory experiments. I will specifically focus on the influence of superfluid mutual friction on the stellar dynamics and the formation of the superconducting phase.