Speaker
Dr
Jason Hessels
(University of Amsterdam)
Description
As the most rapidly rotating stars known, millisecond pulsars continue
to enjoy great scientific interest and broad impact. They acquire
their millisecond rotational periods through mass transfer from a
binary stellar companion; via their radio, X-ray and/or gamma-ray
pulsations we can precisely time their spin rate and orbital motion
around a companion object (or even multiple companions). Millisecond
pulsars are thus not only exotic stars in their own right, but also
precision astronomical clocks for measuring other physical effects in
extreme environments. In this review talk, I will discuss how the
large recent increase in known millisecond pulsars is shaping our
understanding of their formation/evolution and is enabling ever more
constraining tests of gravitational theories and dense matter physics.
Primary author
Dr
Jason Hessels
(University of Amsterdam)
