TITLE: "Binary Neutron Stars in General Relativity"

SPEAKER: Professor Thomas, Baumgarte,

TIME: Thursday, February 11, 1999, starting at 4:00 PM

PLACE: George P. Williams, Jr. Lecture Hall, (Olin 101)

Nature has provided us with a fascinating laboratory for fundamental physics: binary neutron stars. Very soon, they may be among the first objects to be detected by gravitational wave detectors currently under construction, which would be a spectacular confirmation of Einstein's theory of gravitation and would open a new observational window on strong field gravitational processes. I will review some important properties of neutron stars, effects of general relativity, and observational evidence for neutron stars in binary systems. I will then present numerical models of neutron stars in close binary systems, and will discuss the effects of rotation and of the relativistic tidal field. In particular, I will draw conclusions on the stability of such systems, which is crucial for the prospect of observations. I will close by outlining future simulations of the final coalescence and merger of neutron star binaries and the possible subsequent black hole formation.