Probing subatomic physics with gravitational waves from neutron star binary inspirals

Tanja Hinderer, Institute for Theoretical Physics, Utrecht University — June 14, 2021

The gravitational waves from inspiraling binary systems of compact objects carry unique information about their internal structure. For neutron stars, where matter is compressed by strong gravity to up to several times nuclear density, this offers unique opportunities for exploring the properties of matter and fundamental interactions in regimes far from current knowledge. Measuring the information on neutron star matter from the gravitational wave data relies on accurate models of the interplay of matter with strong-field, dynamical gravity. I will discuss our understanding of the dominant matter signatures in gravitational waves generated during the binary inspiral epoch accessible with current detectors, summarize what we have learned from recent measurements, and conclude with an outlook onto the prospects and challenges for the next years as gravitational-wave science continues to move towards an era of precision physics.