Finding New Physics in Debris from Colliding Neutron Stars: St. Louis Astronomical Society January Meeting

A neutron star is the super-compressed remains of a star much more massive than our sun. At the end of its life cycle, when the nuclear fuel in its core regions has been used up, the massive star explodes, blasting most of its material into the surrounding space. Gravity crushes the remnant material, which is still more massive than the sun, into a ball less than twenty miles across, forming a neutron star. Sometimes two massive stars form close to each other. After the twin explosions, the two neutron stars eventually collide. As Dr. Dev explains, “Extreme astrophysical environments like neutron star mergers provide a new window of opportunity in our quest for physics beyond the Standard Model.” He will discuss how the study of neutron star collisions may advance our understanding of the nature of dark matter and refine, or even refute, the current theory of particle physics known as the Standard Model.

Bhupal Dev is an Associate Professor of Physics at Washington University and a Fellow of the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences. He has broad research interests in High Energy Physics, Astroparticle Physics, and Cosmology. He has received several awards, including the TUM University Foundation Fellowship in 2015, Fermilab Intensity Frontier Fellowship in 2020, and the Humboldt Research Fellowship in 2025.   

The St. Louis Astronomical Society is an organization for individuals interested in astronomy and telescopes. The public is invited to attend its meetings, telescope observing sessions, and special events. For more information about Astronomical Society events, please visit www.slasonline.org.

Free parking will be available.