Giuseppe Rivieccio:Equation of state and magnetic field effects in binary neutron star mergers

Thursday 19 Nov 2026, 13:15 → 14:00 Europe/Stockholm

Determining the equation of state (EoS) of dense nuclear matter is a long-standing open problem, and binary neutron star (BNS) mergers offer a unique laboratory to probe it. In this talk I will first discuss how phase transitions and, more generally, non-convex thermodynamics can affect 
BNS mergers and numerical simulations of them. We introduce a parametrized phase transition (PT) that lets us control its stiffness and convexity, so that first-order and crossover transitions can be studied within a single framework. By comparing the gravitational-wave signals from simulations with different PTs, we examine how each type affects the quasi-universal relation between the post-merger peak frequency and the tidal deformability. Finally, I will show preliminary results on how the nucleosynthesis yields of BNS ejecta change with the geometry of the magnetic field.