In this lecture, Victoria Kaspi, Professor of Physics at the McGill University in Montreal, delves into the extreme nature of neutron stars as natural laboratories where astrophysics, nuclear physics, and relativity converge. She describes how, after stellar collapse, compact objects are born that can rotate hundreds of times per second, emit regular pulses, and reveal the fundamental laws of physics with remarkable precision. The lecture also explores the nature of pulsars and magnetars, their intense magnetic fields, and their role as cosmic clocks—surpassing the accuracy of man-made instruments. Ultimately, these “cosmic gifts” are shown to offer unique windows into understanding the universe and matter under extreme conditions.
This lecture was delivered in November 2011 as part of the astrophysics series ‘The Science of the Cosmos, the Science in the Cosmos’. This series tackles
In this lecture, Victoria Kaspi, Professor of Physics at the McGill University in Montreal, delves into the extreme nature of neutron stars as natural laboratories where astrophysics, nuclear physics, and relativity converge. She describes how, after stellar collapse, compact objects are born that can rotate hundreds of times per second, emit regular pulses, and reveal the fundamental laws of physics with remarkable precision. The lecture also explores the nature of pulsars and magnetars, their intense magnetic fields, and their role as cosmic clocks—surpassing the accuracy of man-made instruments. Ultimately, these “cosmic gifts” are shown to offer unique windows into understanding the universe and matter under extreme conditions.
This lecture was delivered in November 2011 as part of the astrophysics series ‘The Science of the Cosmos, the Science in the Cosmos’. This series tackles the fundamental questions in contemporary astrophysics. How many planets similar to Earth are orbiting other stars? The lectures in the second edition explore questions such as the search for life in other worlds, the expansion of the universe, neutron stars, and clusters of galaxies.
