Accreting neutron stars: extreme magnetic field in extreme gravity

by Dr Carlo Ferrigno (Université de Genève)

Thursday 8 Jan 2026, 11:30 → 12:30 Europe/Rome

Sala Jappelli (Osservatorio astronomico di Padova)

Neutron stars are natural laboratories to study matter and radiation in extreme conditions of gravity, enabling us to probe matter and radiation interaction at nuclear density and macroscopic scale. They develop magnetic field so extreme that quantum effects on radiation become dominant and are pivotal to probe the physical conditions. Electromagnetic emission peaks in the X-rays window, through which we gathered most of the information available on these objects. Owing the the high flux emitted when matters crashes onto the surface at half the speed of light, we can perform studies at remarkable temporal and spectral resolution.
In this seminar, I will summarize established knowledge and open points in our understanding of these systems after more than half century since their discovery as X-ray binaries. While the basic mechanism for a phenomenological description are established, the details of how emission shapes the high-quality observations currently available lacks convincing interpretations for individual sources. It is essential to find a viable way to compare rich observational data to theoretical predictions to reduce the very large parameter space, in particular to constrain the geometry of emitting zones. I will discuss how present future missions could contribute to this goal and how collaborative efforts from heterogeneous research groups could advance significantly this field of research.

 

Join Zoom Meeting

 

https://unipd.zoom.us/j/82482883288?pwd=MVvmMWSGaiVrGMyAFOdyQG61OAcI7D.1

Meeting ID: 824 8288 3288

Passcode: 072472