ERC Consolidator Grant · 2024
Using short radio flashes to probe the remnants of neutron star mergers
Neutron stars are the densest objects in the Universe, but an ongoing mystery is how massive can they get? By examining what happens when two neutron stars merge, we can help unravel this mystery. Some mergers will leave behind a black hole, while others instead make an even more massive neutron star. This massive neutron star will be spinning exceptionally fast and have a huge magnetic field (known as a magnetar). How long this magnetar lives completely depends on its mass, its spin energy and its magnetism. By studying this magnetar, we can learn about the maximum mass of neutron stars and emission mechanisms in extreme environments. By studying emission in X-rays and optical wavelengths…
From the public funding record at EU CORDIS. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.