Nuclear Astrophysics in the New Era of Multi-messenger Astronomy
Florida State University
One of the overarching questions animating nuclear physics today is "How does subatomic
matter organize itself". Neutron stars are cosmic laboratories uniquely poised to
answer this fundamental question. The historical first detection of a binary neutron
star merger by the LIGO-Virgo collaboration is providing fundamental new insights
into the astrophysical site for the r-process and on the nature of neutron-rich matter.
In turn, the study of exotic atomic nuclei at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams
(FRIB) will elucidate the underlying dynamics of the r-process and the composition
of the neutron-star crust. In this presentation I will discuss how this synergy —
in combination with nuclear physics insights, modern theoretical approaches, and powerful
statistical ideas — can pave the way to understanding these fascinating objects.