In-Saeng Suh - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by In-Saeng Suh

Research paper thumbnail of Neutron Star Mergers and the Quark Matter Equation of State

EPJ Web of Conferences

As neutron stars merge they can approach very high nuclear density. Here, we summarized recent re... more As neutron stars merge they can approach very high nuclear density. Here, we summarized recent results for the evolution and gravitational wave emission from binary-neutron star mergers using a a variety of nuclear equations of state with and without a crossover transition to quark matter. We discuss how the late time gravitational wave emission from binary neutron star mergers may possibly reveal the existence of a crossover transition to quark matter.

Research paper thumbnail of Binary neutron star mergers as a probe of quark-hadron crossover equations of state

Physical Review D

It is anticipated that the gravitational radiation detected in future gravitational wave (GW) det... more It is anticipated that the gravitational radiation detected in future gravitational wave (GW) detectors from binary neutron star (NS) mergers can probe the high density equation of state (EOS). We simulate binary NS mergers which adopt various quark-hadron crossover (QHC) EOSs which are constructed from combinations of a hardronic EOS (n b < 2 n 0) and a quark-matter EOS (n b > 5 n 0), where n b and n 0 are the baryon number density and the nuclear saturation density, respectively. At the crossover densities (2 n 0 < n b < 5 n 0), the QHC EOSs have a gradually increasing stiffness reaching to the stiffness of the strongly correlated quark matter. This enhanced stiffness leads to much longer lifetimes of the hypermassive NS than that for a pure hadronic EOS. We find a dual nature of these EOSs such that their maximum chirp GW frequencies f max fall into the category of a soft EOS while the dominant peak frequencies (f peak) of the postmerger stage falls in between that of a soft and stiff hadronic EOSs. An observation of this kind of dual nature in the characteristic GW frequencies will provide crucial evidence for the existence of strongly interacting quark matter at the crossover densities for QCD.

Research paper thumbnail of Advanced Quantum Poisson Solver in the NISQ era

2022 IEEE International Conference on Quantum Computing and Engineering (QCE)

The Poisson equation has many applications across the broad areas of science and engineering. Mos... more The Poisson equation has many applications across the broad areas of science and engineering. Most quantum algorithms for the Poisson solver presented so far, either suffer from lack of accuracy and/or are limited to very small sizes of the problem, and thus have no practical usage. Here we present an advanced quantum algorithm for solving the Poisson equation with high accuracy and dynamically tunable problem size. After converting the Poisson equation to the linear systems through the finite difference method, we adopt the Harrow-Hassidim-Lloyd (HHL) algorithm as the basic framework. Particularly, in this work we present an advanced circuit that ensures the accuracy of the solution by implementing non-truncated eigenvalues through eigenvalue amplification as well as by increasing the accuracy of the controlled rotation angular coefficients, which are the critical factors in the HHL algorithm. We show that our algorithm not only increases the accuracy of the solutions, but also composes more practical and scalable circuits by dynamically controlling problem size in the NISQ devices. We present both simulated and experimental solutions, and conclude that overall results on the quantum hardware are dominated by the error in the CNOT gates.

Research paper thumbnail of Advancing Algorithm to Scale and Accurately Solve Quantum Poisson Equation on Near-term Quantum Hardware

arXiv (Cornell University), Oct 29, 2022

The Poisson equation has many applications across the broad areas of science and engineering. Mos... more The Poisson equation has many applications across the broad areas of science and engineering. Most quantum algorithms for the Poisson solver presented so far either suffer from lack of accuracy and/or are limited to very small sizes of the problem, and thus have no practical usage. Here we present an advanced quantum algorithm for solving the Poisson equation with high accuracy and dynamically tunable problem size. After converting the Poisson equation to a linear system through the finite difference method, we adopt the HHL algorithm as the basic framework. Particularly, in this work we present an advanced circuit that ensures the accuracy of the solution by implementing non-truncated eigenvalues through eigenvalue amplification, as well as by increasing the accuracy of the controlled rotation angular coefficients, which are the critical factors in the HHL algorithm. Consequently, we are able to drastically reduce the relative error in the solution while achieving higher success probability as the amplification level is increased. We show that our algorithm not only increases the accuracy of the solutions but also composes more practical and scalable circuits by dynamically controlling problem size in NISQ devices. We present both simulated and experimental results and discuss the sources of errors. Finally, we conclude that though overall results on the existing NISQ hardware are dominated by the error in the CNOT gates, this work opens a path to realizing a multidimensional Poisson solver on near-term quantum hardware.

Research paper thumbnail of Self interacting dark matter and small scale structure

The Fifteenth Marcel Grossmann Meeting

Research paper thumbnail of The Evolution of the Distribution of Enriched Material in Large Scale Structure from z=3 to z=0

American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts, Jun 1, 2013

Research paper thumbnail of Stellar Solutions for the Cosmological Lithium Problem

Bulletin of the American Physical Society, Apr 20, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of Effect of the Nuclear Equation of State on Relativistic Turbulence-induced Core-collapse Supernovae

The Astrophysical Journal, 2022

The nuclear equation of state (EOS) is an important component in the evolution of core-collapse s... more The nuclear equation of state (EOS) is an important component in the evolution of core-collapse supernovae. In this paper we make a survey of various EOSs in the literature and analyze their effect on spherical core-collapse models in which the effects of three-dimensional turbulence is modeled by a general relativistic formulation of Supernova Turbulence In Reduced-dimensionality (STIR). We show that the viability of the explosion is quite EOS dependent and that it best correlates with the early-time interior entropy density of the proto–neutron star. We check that this result is not progenitor dependent, although the lowest-mass progenitors show different explosion properties, due to the different pre-collapse nuclear composition. Larger central entropies also induce more vigorous proto–neutron star convection in our one-dimensional turbulence model, as well as a wider convective layer.

Research paper thumbnail of Modern Physics Letters A c © World Scientific Publishing Company ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF STRUCTURE AND NUCLEOSYNTHESIS FOR GALAXIES IN THE LOCAL GROUP

The Milky Way is the product of a complex evolution of generations of mergers, collapse, star for... more The Milky Way is the product of a complex evolution of generations of mergers, collapse, star formation, supernova and collisional heating, radiative and collisional cooling, and ejected nucleosynthesis. Moreover, all of this occurs in the context of the cosmic ex-pansion, the formation of cosmic filaments, dark-matter halos, spiral density waves, and emerging dark energy. In this review we summarize observational evidence and discuss recent calculations concerning the formation, evolution, and nucleosynthesis in the galax-ies of the Local-Group. In particular, we will briefly summarize observations and simula-tions for the dwarf galaxies and the two large spirals of the Local Group. We discuss how galactic halos form within the dark matter filaments that define a super-galactic plane. Gravitational interaction along this structure leads to streaming flows toward the two dominant galaxies in the cluster. These simulations and observations also suggest that a significant fraction of ...

Research paper thumbnail of Where Do Galaxies Spend Their Time? The Evolving Environment of Galaxies and Their CGM

Research paper thumbnail of Gravitational Waveforms from Multiple-Orbit Simulations of Binary Neutron Stars

Communications in Physics, 2016

We study the gravitational wave emission of equal-mass neutron stars in binary orbits as the star... more We study the gravitational wave emission of equal-mass neutron stars in binary orbits as the stars approach the inner most last stable circular orbit. We illustrate the extraction of gravitational wave forms in a sequence of quasi-circular orbit simulations including the general relativistic hydrodynamic response of the stars. We compare the computed results with the Newtonian and post Newtonian results and show that substantial differences can arise as the orbits approach the final inspiral.

Research paper thumbnail of White Dwarf Magnetic Fields and the Mass-Radius Relation

Research paper thumbnail of Nuclear Equation of State and Pion Condensation in Magnetars

Recently, neutron stars with very strong surface magnetic fields have been suggested as the site ... more Recently, neutron stars with very strong surface magnetic fields have been suggested as the site for the origin of observed soft gamma repeaters (SGRs). We investigate the influence of such strong magnetic fields on the properties and internal structure of these magnetized neutron stars (magnetars). We study properties of a degenerate equilibrium ideal neutron-proton-electron (npe) gas model in a magnetic field. The presence of a sufficiently strong magnetic field changes the ratio of protons to neutrons as well as the neutron drip density. We also study the appearance of muons as well as pion condensation in strong magnetic fields. We discuss the possibility that boson condensation in the interior of magnetars is a source of SGRs.

Research paper thumbnail of Magnetar equation of state, Pulsation, and Pion condensation

Research paper thumbnail of Locally inhomogeneous cosmology as a possible explanation of dark energy

One possible explanation for the origin of the dark energy which contributes the apparent cosmic ... more One possible explanation for the origin of the dark energy which contributes the apparent cosmic acceleration involves general relativistic corrections to the Friedmann expansion for a locally inhomogeneous cosmology. The general solution of this scenario has not been established except for cases with special symmetry like the Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi model. In this talk, I will discuss a numerical simulation approach in which we have derived a scheme to include general relativistic corrections for general 3D inhomogeneities to the Newtonian large scale structure code GADGET-2. In particular, the supernovae magnitude-redshift relation will be examined with this approach as a way to account for the apparent cosmic acceleration. Future improvements of the code and proposed observation tests of this hypothesis will also be discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of Evidence for White Dwarfs with Strange-Matter Cores

The Eleventh Marcel Grossmann Meeting - On Recent Developments in Theoretical and Experimental General Relativity, Gravitation and Relativistic Field Theories - Proceedings of the MG11 Meeting on General Relativity, 2008

We summarize masses and radii for a number of white dwarfs as deduced from a combination of prope... more We summarize masses and radii for a number of white dwarfs as deduced from a combination of proper motion studies, Hipparcos parallax distances, effective temperatures, and binary or spectroscopic masses. A puzzling feature of these data, however, is that some stars appear to have radii which are significantly smaller than that expected for a standard electron-degenerate white-dwarf equations of state. We construct a projection of white-dwarf radii for fixed effective mass and conclude that there is at least marginal evidence for bimodality in the radius distribution for white dwarfs. We argue that if such compact white dwarfs exist it is unlikely that they contain an iron core. We propose an alternative of strange-quark matter within the white-dwarf core. We also discuss the impact of the so-called color-flavor locked (CFL) state in strange-matter core associated with color superconductivity. We show that the data exhibit several features consistent with the expected massradius relation of strange dwarfs. We identify eight nearby white dwarfs which are possible candidates for strange matter cores and suggest observational tests of this hypothesis.

Research paper thumbnail of Neutron Star Mysteries

Origin of Matter and Evolution of Galaxies 2000, 2003

ABSTRACT Neutron stars provide a unique laboratory in which to explore the nuclear equation of st... more ABSTRACT Neutron stars provide a unique laboratory in which to explore the nuclear equation of state at high densities. Nevertheless, their interior structure and equation of state have remained a mystery. Recently, a number of advances have been made toward unraveling this mystery. The first direct optical images of a nearby neutron star have been obtained from HST. High quality data for X-ray emission from low-mass X-ray binaries, including observations of nearly coherent oscillations (NCO&#39;s) and quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) now exist. The existence of a possible absorption feature as well as pulsar light curves and glitches, and studies of soft-gamma repeaters, have all led to significant new constraints on the mass-radius relation and maximum mass of neutron stars. We also discuss how models of supernova explosion dynamics and the associated r-process nucleosynthesis also constrain the nuclear equation of state, along with heavy-ion and monopole resonance data. Recent work on the search for the Friedman-Chandrasekhar-Schutz instability and the effects of internal magnetic fields are also discussed. The overall constraints on the neutron star equation of state are summarized.

Research paper thumbnail of White Dwarfs with Strange Matter Cores: An Analysis of Candidates

We summarize masses and radii for a number of white dwarfs as deduced from a combination of prope... more We summarize masses and radii for a number of white dwarfs as deduced from a combination of proper motion studies, Hipparcos parallax distances, effective temperatures, and binary or spectroscopic masses. We construct a projection of white-dwarf radii for fixed effective mass and conclude that there is at least marginal evidence for bimodality in the radius distribution for white dwarfs. Some

Research paper thumbnail of QCD Matter in White Dwarfs and Supernova Collapse

Progress of Theoretical Physics Supplement, 2010

The search for astrophysical evidence for a transition to QCD matter is an important goal. Althou... more The search for astrophysical evidence for a transition to QCD matter is an important goal. Although much effort has gone into searching for neutron star candidates, here we describe the exploration of two other possible signatures. One is the search for strange dwarfs. Masses and radii for a large number of white dwarfs have been deduced from a combination of proper motion studies, Hipparcos parallax distances, effective temperatures, and binary or spectroscopic masses. Some stars appear to have radii which are significantly smaller than that expected for a standard electron-degenerate white-dwarf equation of state. We argue that there is marginal evidence for bimodality in the radius distribution. We show that the data exhibit several features consistent with the expected mass-radius relation of strange dwarfs. We identify eight nearby white dwarfs that are possible candidates for strange matter cores and suggest observational tests of this hypothesis. We also review the current status of core-collapse supernova research, and in particular, the effects on the explosion of a QCD phase transition in the proto-neutron-star core. We describe how a first order transition could enhance the explosion and lead to observable effects in the emergent neutrino light curve.

Research paper thumbnail of Effects of structure formation on the expansion rate of the Universe: An estimate from numerical simulations

Physical Review D, 2011

General relativistic corrections to the expansion rate of the universe arise when the Einstein eq... more General relativistic corrections to the expansion rate of the universe arise when the Einstein equations are averaged over a spatial volume in a locally inhomogeneous cosmology. It has been suggested that they may contribute to the observed cosmic acceleration. In this paper, we propose a new scheme that utilizes numerical simulations to make a realistic estimate of the magnitude of these corrections for general inhomogeneities in (3+1) spacetime. We then quantitatively calculate the volume averaged expansion rate using N-body large-scale structure simulations and compare it with the expansion rate in a standard FRW cosmology. We find that in the weak gravitational field limit, the converged corrections are slightly larger than the previous claimed 10 −5 level, but not large enough nor even of the correct sign to drive the current cosmic acceleration. Nevertheless, the question of whether the cumulative effect can significantly change the expansion history of the universe needs to be further investigated with the strong-field relativity.

Research paper thumbnail of Neutron Star Mergers and the Quark Matter Equation of State

EPJ Web of Conferences

As neutron stars merge they can approach very high nuclear density. Here, we summarized recent re... more As neutron stars merge they can approach very high nuclear density. Here, we summarized recent results for the evolution and gravitational wave emission from binary-neutron star mergers using a a variety of nuclear equations of state with and without a crossover transition to quark matter. We discuss how the late time gravitational wave emission from binary neutron star mergers may possibly reveal the existence of a crossover transition to quark matter.

Research paper thumbnail of Binary neutron star mergers as a probe of quark-hadron crossover equations of state

Physical Review D

It is anticipated that the gravitational radiation detected in future gravitational wave (GW) det... more It is anticipated that the gravitational radiation detected in future gravitational wave (GW) detectors from binary neutron star (NS) mergers can probe the high density equation of state (EOS). We simulate binary NS mergers which adopt various quark-hadron crossover (QHC) EOSs which are constructed from combinations of a hardronic EOS (n b < 2 n 0) and a quark-matter EOS (n b > 5 n 0), where n b and n 0 are the baryon number density and the nuclear saturation density, respectively. At the crossover densities (2 n 0 < n b < 5 n 0), the QHC EOSs have a gradually increasing stiffness reaching to the stiffness of the strongly correlated quark matter. This enhanced stiffness leads to much longer lifetimes of the hypermassive NS than that for a pure hadronic EOS. We find a dual nature of these EOSs such that their maximum chirp GW frequencies f max fall into the category of a soft EOS while the dominant peak frequencies (f peak) of the postmerger stage falls in between that of a soft and stiff hadronic EOSs. An observation of this kind of dual nature in the characteristic GW frequencies will provide crucial evidence for the existence of strongly interacting quark matter at the crossover densities for QCD.

Research paper thumbnail of Advanced Quantum Poisson Solver in the NISQ era

2022 IEEE International Conference on Quantum Computing and Engineering (QCE)

The Poisson equation has many applications across the broad areas of science and engineering. Mos... more The Poisson equation has many applications across the broad areas of science and engineering. Most quantum algorithms for the Poisson solver presented so far, either suffer from lack of accuracy and/or are limited to very small sizes of the problem, and thus have no practical usage. Here we present an advanced quantum algorithm for solving the Poisson equation with high accuracy and dynamically tunable problem size. After converting the Poisson equation to the linear systems through the finite difference method, we adopt the Harrow-Hassidim-Lloyd (HHL) algorithm as the basic framework. Particularly, in this work we present an advanced circuit that ensures the accuracy of the solution by implementing non-truncated eigenvalues through eigenvalue amplification as well as by increasing the accuracy of the controlled rotation angular coefficients, which are the critical factors in the HHL algorithm. We show that our algorithm not only increases the accuracy of the solutions, but also composes more practical and scalable circuits by dynamically controlling problem size in the NISQ devices. We present both simulated and experimental solutions, and conclude that overall results on the quantum hardware are dominated by the error in the CNOT gates.

Research paper thumbnail of Advancing Algorithm to Scale and Accurately Solve Quantum Poisson Equation on Near-term Quantum Hardware

arXiv (Cornell University), Oct 29, 2022

The Poisson equation has many applications across the broad areas of science and engineering. Mos... more The Poisson equation has many applications across the broad areas of science and engineering. Most quantum algorithms for the Poisson solver presented so far either suffer from lack of accuracy and/or are limited to very small sizes of the problem, and thus have no practical usage. Here we present an advanced quantum algorithm for solving the Poisson equation with high accuracy and dynamically tunable problem size. After converting the Poisson equation to a linear system through the finite difference method, we adopt the HHL algorithm as the basic framework. Particularly, in this work we present an advanced circuit that ensures the accuracy of the solution by implementing non-truncated eigenvalues through eigenvalue amplification, as well as by increasing the accuracy of the controlled rotation angular coefficients, which are the critical factors in the HHL algorithm. Consequently, we are able to drastically reduce the relative error in the solution while achieving higher success probability as the amplification level is increased. We show that our algorithm not only increases the accuracy of the solutions but also composes more practical and scalable circuits by dynamically controlling problem size in NISQ devices. We present both simulated and experimental results and discuss the sources of errors. Finally, we conclude that though overall results on the existing NISQ hardware are dominated by the error in the CNOT gates, this work opens a path to realizing a multidimensional Poisson solver on near-term quantum hardware.

Research paper thumbnail of Self interacting dark matter and small scale structure

The Fifteenth Marcel Grossmann Meeting

Research paper thumbnail of The Evolution of the Distribution of Enriched Material in Large Scale Structure from z=3 to z=0

American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts, Jun 1, 2013

Research paper thumbnail of Stellar Solutions for the Cosmological Lithium Problem

Bulletin of the American Physical Society, Apr 20, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of Effect of the Nuclear Equation of State on Relativistic Turbulence-induced Core-collapse Supernovae

The Astrophysical Journal, 2022

The nuclear equation of state (EOS) is an important component in the evolution of core-collapse s... more The nuclear equation of state (EOS) is an important component in the evolution of core-collapse supernovae. In this paper we make a survey of various EOSs in the literature and analyze their effect on spherical core-collapse models in which the effects of three-dimensional turbulence is modeled by a general relativistic formulation of Supernova Turbulence In Reduced-dimensionality (STIR). We show that the viability of the explosion is quite EOS dependent and that it best correlates with the early-time interior entropy density of the proto–neutron star. We check that this result is not progenitor dependent, although the lowest-mass progenitors show different explosion properties, due to the different pre-collapse nuclear composition. Larger central entropies also induce more vigorous proto–neutron star convection in our one-dimensional turbulence model, as well as a wider convective layer.

Research paper thumbnail of Modern Physics Letters A c © World Scientific Publishing Company ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF STRUCTURE AND NUCLEOSYNTHESIS FOR GALAXIES IN THE LOCAL GROUP

The Milky Way is the product of a complex evolution of generations of mergers, collapse, star for... more The Milky Way is the product of a complex evolution of generations of mergers, collapse, star formation, supernova and collisional heating, radiative and collisional cooling, and ejected nucleosynthesis. Moreover, all of this occurs in the context of the cosmic ex-pansion, the formation of cosmic filaments, dark-matter halos, spiral density waves, and emerging dark energy. In this review we summarize observational evidence and discuss recent calculations concerning the formation, evolution, and nucleosynthesis in the galax-ies of the Local-Group. In particular, we will briefly summarize observations and simula-tions for the dwarf galaxies and the two large spirals of the Local Group. We discuss how galactic halos form within the dark matter filaments that define a super-galactic plane. Gravitational interaction along this structure leads to streaming flows toward the two dominant galaxies in the cluster. These simulations and observations also suggest that a significant fraction of ...

Research paper thumbnail of Where Do Galaxies Spend Their Time? The Evolving Environment of Galaxies and Their CGM

Research paper thumbnail of Gravitational Waveforms from Multiple-Orbit Simulations of Binary Neutron Stars

Communications in Physics, 2016

We study the gravitational wave emission of equal-mass neutron stars in binary orbits as the star... more We study the gravitational wave emission of equal-mass neutron stars in binary orbits as the stars approach the inner most last stable circular orbit. We illustrate the extraction of gravitational wave forms in a sequence of quasi-circular orbit simulations including the general relativistic hydrodynamic response of the stars. We compare the computed results with the Newtonian and post Newtonian results and show that substantial differences can arise as the orbits approach the final inspiral.

Research paper thumbnail of White Dwarf Magnetic Fields and the Mass-Radius Relation

Research paper thumbnail of Nuclear Equation of State and Pion Condensation in Magnetars

Recently, neutron stars with very strong surface magnetic fields have been suggested as the site ... more Recently, neutron stars with very strong surface magnetic fields have been suggested as the site for the origin of observed soft gamma repeaters (SGRs). We investigate the influence of such strong magnetic fields on the properties and internal structure of these magnetized neutron stars (magnetars). We study properties of a degenerate equilibrium ideal neutron-proton-electron (npe) gas model in a magnetic field. The presence of a sufficiently strong magnetic field changes the ratio of protons to neutrons as well as the neutron drip density. We also study the appearance of muons as well as pion condensation in strong magnetic fields. We discuss the possibility that boson condensation in the interior of magnetars is a source of SGRs.

Research paper thumbnail of Magnetar equation of state, Pulsation, and Pion condensation

Research paper thumbnail of Locally inhomogeneous cosmology as a possible explanation of dark energy

One possible explanation for the origin of the dark energy which contributes the apparent cosmic ... more One possible explanation for the origin of the dark energy which contributes the apparent cosmic acceleration involves general relativistic corrections to the Friedmann expansion for a locally inhomogeneous cosmology. The general solution of this scenario has not been established except for cases with special symmetry like the Lemaitre-Tolman-Bondi model. In this talk, I will discuss a numerical simulation approach in which we have derived a scheme to include general relativistic corrections for general 3D inhomogeneities to the Newtonian large scale structure code GADGET-2. In particular, the supernovae magnitude-redshift relation will be examined with this approach as a way to account for the apparent cosmic acceleration. Future improvements of the code and proposed observation tests of this hypothesis will also be discussed.

Research paper thumbnail of Evidence for White Dwarfs with Strange-Matter Cores

The Eleventh Marcel Grossmann Meeting - On Recent Developments in Theoretical and Experimental General Relativity, Gravitation and Relativistic Field Theories - Proceedings of the MG11 Meeting on General Relativity, 2008

We summarize masses and radii for a number of white dwarfs as deduced from a combination of prope... more We summarize masses and radii for a number of white dwarfs as deduced from a combination of proper motion studies, Hipparcos parallax distances, effective temperatures, and binary or spectroscopic masses. A puzzling feature of these data, however, is that some stars appear to have radii which are significantly smaller than that expected for a standard electron-degenerate white-dwarf equations of state. We construct a projection of white-dwarf radii for fixed effective mass and conclude that there is at least marginal evidence for bimodality in the radius distribution for white dwarfs. We argue that if such compact white dwarfs exist it is unlikely that they contain an iron core. We propose an alternative of strange-quark matter within the white-dwarf core. We also discuss the impact of the so-called color-flavor locked (CFL) state in strange-matter core associated with color superconductivity. We show that the data exhibit several features consistent with the expected massradius relation of strange dwarfs. We identify eight nearby white dwarfs which are possible candidates for strange matter cores and suggest observational tests of this hypothesis.

Research paper thumbnail of Neutron Star Mysteries

Origin of Matter and Evolution of Galaxies 2000, 2003

ABSTRACT Neutron stars provide a unique laboratory in which to explore the nuclear equation of st... more ABSTRACT Neutron stars provide a unique laboratory in which to explore the nuclear equation of state at high densities. Nevertheless, their interior structure and equation of state have remained a mystery. Recently, a number of advances have been made toward unraveling this mystery. The first direct optical images of a nearby neutron star have been obtained from HST. High quality data for X-ray emission from low-mass X-ray binaries, including observations of nearly coherent oscillations (NCO&#39;s) and quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) now exist. The existence of a possible absorption feature as well as pulsar light curves and glitches, and studies of soft-gamma repeaters, have all led to significant new constraints on the mass-radius relation and maximum mass of neutron stars. We also discuss how models of supernova explosion dynamics and the associated r-process nucleosynthesis also constrain the nuclear equation of state, along with heavy-ion and monopole resonance data. Recent work on the search for the Friedman-Chandrasekhar-Schutz instability and the effects of internal magnetic fields are also discussed. The overall constraints on the neutron star equation of state are summarized.

Research paper thumbnail of White Dwarfs with Strange Matter Cores: An Analysis of Candidates

We summarize masses and radii for a number of white dwarfs as deduced from a combination of prope... more We summarize masses and radii for a number of white dwarfs as deduced from a combination of proper motion studies, Hipparcos parallax distances, effective temperatures, and binary or spectroscopic masses. We construct a projection of white-dwarf radii for fixed effective mass and conclude that there is at least marginal evidence for bimodality in the radius distribution for white dwarfs. Some

Research paper thumbnail of QCD Matter in White Dwarfs and Supernova Collapse

Progress of Theoretical Physics Supplement, 2010

The search for astrophysical evidence for a transition to QCD matter is an important goal. Althou... more The search for astrophysical evidence for a transition to QCD matter is an important goal. Although much effort has gone into searching for neutron star candidates, here we describe the exploration of two other possible signatures. One is the search for strange dwarfs. Masses and radii for a large number of white dwarfs have been deduced from a combination of proper motion studies, Hipparcos parallax distances, effective temperatures, and binary or spectroscopic masses. Some stars appear to have radii which are significantly smaller than that expected for a standard electron-degenerate white-dwarf equation of state. We argue that there is marginal evidence for bimodality in the radius distribution. We show that the data exhibit several features consistent with the expected mass-radius relation of strange dwarfs. We identify eight nearby white dwarfs that are possible candidates for strange matter cores and suggest observational tests of this hypothesis. We also review the current status of core-collapse supernova research, and in particular, the effects on the explosion of a QCD phase transition in the proto-neutron-star core. We describe how a first order transition could enhance the explosion and lead to observable effects in the emergent neutrino light curve.

Research paper thumbnail of Effects of structure formation on the expansion rate of the Universe: An estimate from numerical simulations

Physical Review D, 2011

General relativistic corrections to the expansion rate of the universe arise when the Einstein eq... more General relativistic corrections to the expansion rate of the universe arise when the Einstein equations are averaged over a spatial volume in a locally inhomogeneous cosmology. It has been suggested that they may contribute to the observed cosmic acceleration. In this paper, we propose a new scheme that utilizes numerical simulations to make a realistic estimate of the magnitude of these corrections for general inhomogeneities in (3+1) spacetime. We then quantitatively calculate the volume averaged expansion rate using N-body large-scale structure simulations and compare it with the expansion rate in a standard FRW cosmology. We find that in the weak gravitational field limit, the converged corrections are slightly larger than the previous claimed 10 −5 level, but not large enough nor even of the correct sign to drive the current cosmic acceleration. Nevertheless, the question of whether the cumulative effect can significantly change the expansion history of the universe needs to be further investigated with the strong-field relativity.