Observations of isolated neutron stars or rotation-powered neutron
stars, pulsars, could provide tell-tale signatures
of the properties of nuclear matter at high densities. Recently,
the existence of massive pulsars with two solar masses was confirmed
giving strong constraints on the high-density nuclear equation of state
and on the possible existence of exotic phases in the core of neutron stars.
The implications of the recent astrophysical observations will be discussed and
confronted with the nuclear equation of state as extracted from
nuclear physics, data from heavy-ion experiments at relativistic bombarding
energies and the underlying theory of strong interactions, quantum chromodynamics,
at high densities.
(host: S. Rosswog)
