Probing neutron star matter using astrophysical observations

Prasanta Char (Space sciences, Technologies and Astrophysics Research (STAR) Institute, Université de Liège)

Neutron stars are excellent laboratories to study the physics of matter at extreme conditions which are beyond the scope of any terrestrial experiments. Recent multimessenger observations of neutron stars such as the measurements of the tidal deformability from the gravitational wave observation, the simultaneous mass and radius measurements of several pulsars in X-rays by the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) instrument aboard the International Space Station along with the discoveries of massive radio pulsars with $\sim 2 M_\odot$ in the last decade have significant implications towards the understanding the equation of state of dense nuclear matter. In this talk, I will discuss how this information is combined with the nuclear experimental data to constrain the properties and the composition of the interior of the neutron stars. I will also review the correlation between certain nuclear empirical parameters such as the symmetry energy, incompressibility with the macroscopic structure parameters such as the radius, tidal deformability of the star.