Relativistic Astrophysics Neutron Stars, Black Holes & Grav. Waves ... a Brief Description of the Course

Relativistic Astrophysics Neutron Stars, Black Holes & Grav. Waves ... A brief description of the course

Kostas Kokkotas

May 2, 2009

Kostas Kokkotas Relativistic Astrophysics Neutron Stars, Black Holes & Grav. Waves ... A brief description of the course Structure of the Course

Introduction to General Theory of Relativity (2-3 weeks) Gravitational Collapse (1 week) Neutron Stars (2-3 weeks) Black Holes (2-3 weeks) Gravitational Waves (2-3 weeks)

Kostas Kokkotas Relativistic Astrophysics Neutron Stars, Black Holes & Grav. Waves ... A brief description of the course Introduction to General Theory of Relativity

Short Introduction to Tensors What is General Relativity and Einstein’s equations

Three solutions of Einstein’s equations with astrophysical interest (Schwarschild, Kerr, TOV) Orbits in the vicinity of black-holes

Kostas Kokkotas Relativistic Astrophysics Neutron Stars, Black Holes & Grav. Waves ... A brief description of the course Gravitational Collapse

A typical supernova occurs when the core of a massive star runs out of nuclear fuel and collapses under its own gravity to form an ultra-dense object known as a neutron star. The newborn neutron star compresses and then rebounds, triggering a shock wave that ploughs through the star’s gaseous outer layers and blows the star to smithereens.

Figure: Supernova Figure: Supernova 1987a, explosion Figure: Crab Nebula photo taken by the Hubble telescope in 1995 Kostas Kokkotas Relativistic Astrophysics Neutron Stars, Black Holes & Grav. Waves ... A brief description of the course Gravitational Collapse

Supernovae result from the explosive death of a star and are classiﬁed as two types. Type Ia supernovae occur in binary star systems in which gas from one star falls onto a white dwarf with a mass close to the Chandrasekhar critical mass and causes it to explode. The explosion is caused by the ignition of runaway thermo-nuclear reactions under degenerate matter conditions. Type II supernovae occur in stars at least ten times more massive than our Sun, which suﬀer runaway thermo-nuclear reactions at the end of their lives, leading to explosions. Such explosions can be either total (no solid remnant) or may leave behind a rapidly spinning neutron star (a pulsar) or a black hole.

Figure: SN2008D :SwiftKostas satellite Kokkotas observedRelativistic the Astrophysics ﬁrst moments Neutron of Stars, a Black Holes & Grav. Waves ... A brief description of the course supernova explosion as it happens Neutron Stars

• A neutron star is a type of remnant that can result from the gravitational collapse of a massive star during a Type II, Type Ib or Type Ic supernova event. Such stars are composed almost entirely of neutrons. • Neutron stars are very hot and are supported against further collapse because of the Pauli exclusion principle. This principle states that no two neutrons (or any other fermionic particle) can occupy the same quantum state simultaneously. • A typical NS has a mass between 1.2 - 2.1 M , with a corresponding radius of 9 - 15 km and central densities around ∼ 1015gr/cm3.

Figure: LMXB Figure: Pulsar Figure: Magnetar Kostas Kokkotas Relativistic Astrophysics Neutron Stars, Black Holes & Grav. Waves ... A brief description of the course Neutron Stars

Equilibrium conﬁgurations in GR How to construct a relativistic star White Dwarf Stars Neutron Stars pure neutron stars more complicated equation of state maximum mass of NS rotation, pulsars Magnetic ﬁelds on NS & Magnetars Binary Pulsars Low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXB) Intermediate-mass X-ray binaries (IMXB) High-mass X-ray binaries (HMXB) Accretion-powered pulsar (”X-ray pulsar”) Exotic Stars

Kostas Kokkotas Relativistic Astrophysics Neutron Stars, Black Holes & Grav. Waves ... A brief description of the course Neutron Stars

Kostas Kokkotas Relativistic Astrophysics Neutron Stars, Black Holes & Grav. Waves ... A brief description of the course Black Holes

Black holes are among the most intriguing objects in modern physics. They power quasars and other active galactic nuclei and also provide key insights into quantum gravity. We will review the observational evidence for black holes and brieﬂy discuss some of their properties. We will also issues related to black-hole thermodynamics.

Figure: BHs have no Figure: BH in action Figure: BH Spacetime hair

Kostas Kokkotas Relativistic Astrophysics Neutron Stars, Black Holes & Grav. Waves ... A brief description of the course Black Holes

What are the black holes according to GR Observational evidence for BHs The maximum mass of neutron stars Observational signatures of black holes Supermassive black holes in galactic nuclei Black holes in x-ray binaries Conclusive evidence for black holes Quantum Black Holes