Speaker
Steven Harris
(Indiana University)
Description
One motivation for the existence of a dark sector is the neutron lifetime anomaly, where two different measurements of the neutron lifetime give different results. This discrepancy can be resolved if the neutron is allowed to decay to a dark baryon and a light scalar. If these particles exist, they could modify the equation of state of dense matter and affect the beta equilibration of neutron stars. I will discuss the bulk viscosity of dense matter containing a population of dark baryons and its possible impacts on neutron star merger dynamics.
Author
Steven Harris
(Indiana University)