Chapter 25 Further Reading — Nuclear Physics of Neutron Stars

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Textbooks

Shapiro, S. L. & Teukolsky, S. A. Black Holes, White Dwarfs, and Neutron Stars: The Physics of Compact Objects (Wiley, 1983). The classic reference for the physics of compact objects. Chapters 8--10 cover neutron star structure, the TOV equation, and the EOS in detail. Somewhat dated on the observational side but still the best introduction to the theoretical framework.
Haensel, P., Potekhin, A. Y., & Yakovlev, D. G. Neutron Stars 1: Equation of State and Structure (Springer, 2007). The definitive textbook on neutron star physics from the nuclear physics perspective. Comprehensive coverage of the EOS, crust structure, pasta phases, and the TOV equation. Graduate level but clearly written.
Glendenning, N. K. Compact Stars: Nuclear Physics, Particle Physics, and General Relativity (2nd ed., Springer, 2000). Excellent treatment of the interface between nuclear and particle physics in neutron stars. Good coverage of hyperons, quark matter, and phase transitions.
Weber, F. Pulsars as Astrophysical Laboratories for Nuclear and Particle Physics (IOP, 1999). Emphasizes the connection between pulsar observations and the underlying microphysics. Detailed treatment of superfluidity, magnetic fields, and rotation.
Lattimer, J. M. & Prakash, M. "The Physics of Neutron Stars," Science 304, 536 (2004). Outstanding review article that serves as a mini-textbook. Accessible to advanced undergraduates. Highly recommended as a first reading beyond this chapter.

Lattimer, J. M. "Neutron Stars and the Nuclear Matter Equation of State," Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Science 71, 433 (2021). Comprehensive review of EOS constraints from nuclear theory, laboratory experiments, and neutron star observations. The definitive modern review.
Oertel, M., Hempel, M., Klahn, T., & Typel, S. "Equations of State for Supernovae and Compact Stars," Reviews of Modern Physics 89, 015007 (2017). Detailed review of EOS models, from Skyrme and relativistic mean field to chiral EFT. Includes discussion of finite-temperature EOS relevant for supernovae.
Baym, G., Hatsuda, T., Kojo, T., et al. "From Hadrons to Quarks in Neutron Stars," Reports on Progress in Physics 81, 056902 (2018). Excellent review of the hadron-quark transition in neutron star cores. Covers QCD phase diagram, color superconductivity, and constraints from observations.
Chamel, N. & Haensel, P. "Physics of Neutron Star Crusts," Living Reviews in Relativity 11, 10 (2008). The standard reference on neutron star crust physics, including the outer crust composition, neutron drip, and nuclear pasta. Freely available online.

Ravenhall, D. G., Pethick, C. J., & Wilson, J. R. "Structure of Matter below Nuclear Saturation Density," Physical Review Letters 50, 2066 (1983). The original paper predicting nuclear pasta phases. Remarkably clear and readable.
Horowitz, C. J., Berry, D. K., Briggs, C. M., et al. "Disordered Nuclear Pasta, Magnetic Field Decay, and Crust Cooling in Neutron Stars," Physical Review Letters 114, 031102 (2015). QMD simulations showing the mechanical properties of nuclear pasta — the "strongest material in the universe" result.
Caplan, M. E. & Horowitz, C. J. "Colloquium: Astromaterial Science and Nuclear Pasta," Reviews of Modern Physics 89, 041002 (2017). Accessible review of nuclear pasta physics, emphasizing connections to materials science and condensed matter.

Abbott, B. P. et al. (LIGO/Virgo Collaboration). "GW170817: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Neutron Star Inspiral," Physical Review Letters 119, 161101 (2017). The discovery paper. Essential reading.
Abbott, B. P. et al. "GW170817: Measurements of Neutron Star Radii and Equation of State," Physical Review Letters 121, 161101 (2018). The paper extracting EOS constraints from the tidal deformability measurement.
Hinderer, T. "Tidal Love Numbers of Neutron Stars," Astrophysical Journal 677, 1216 (2008). The theoretical framework for computing tidal deformability from the EOS. Introduced the tidal Love number formalism used in gravitational wave analysis.

Riley, T. E. et al. "A NICER View of PSR J0030+0451," Astrophysical Journal Letters 887, L21 (2019). First NICER mass-radius measurement.
Miller, M. C. et al. "PSR J0030+0451 Mass and Radius from NICER Data and Implications for the Properties of Neutron Star Matter," Astrophysical Journal Letters 887, L24 (2019). Independent analysis of the same NICER data using different modeling assumptions.
Riley, T. E. et al. "A NICER View of the Massive Pulsar PSR J0740+6620 Informed by Radio Timing and XMM-Newton Spectroscopy," Astrophysical Journal Letters 918, L27 (2021). The crucial measurement showing that a $2.1\,M_\odot$ star has nearly the same radius as a $1.3\,M_\odot$ star.

Fonseca, E. et al. "Refined Mass and Geometric Measurements of the High-mass PSR J0740+6620," Astrophysical Journal Letters 915, L12 (2021). The most precise measurement of a very massive neutron star.
Romani, R. W. et al. "PSR J0952-0607: The Fastest and Heaviest Known Galactic Neutron Star," Astrophysical Journal Letters 934, L17 (2022). If confirmed, the heaviest known neutron star at $2.35 \pm 0.17\,M_\odot$.

Hebeler, K., Lattimer, J. M., Pethick, C. J., & Schwenk, A. "Equation of State and Neutron Star Properties Constrained by Nuclear Physics and Observation," Astrophysical Journal 773, 11 (2013). Landmark paper combining chiral EFT calculations of the low-density EOS with astrophysical constraints at high density.
Drischler, C., Furnstahl, R. J., Melendez, J. A., & Phillips, D. R. "How Well Do We Know the Neutron-Matter Equation of State at the Densities Inside Neutron Stars?," Physical Review Letters 125, 202702 (2020). Modern chiral EFT calculation with Bayesian uncertainty quantification, showing controlled results up to $\sim 2\rho_0$.

Reed, B. T. et al. "Implications of PREX-2 on the Equation of State of Neutron-Rich Matter," Physical Review Letters 126, 172503 (2021). Connecting the PREX-II neutron skin measurement to the symmetry energy slope $L$ and neutron star radii.

CompOSE (CompStar Online Supernovae Equations of State): https://compose.obspm.fr/ — Database of EOS tables for use in astrophysical simulations. Includes tabulated $P(\varepsilon)$ for dozens of EOS models.
StellarCollapse.org: https://stellarcollapse.org/ — EOS tables, open-source TOV solvers, and tutorial materials.
LIGO Open Science Center: https://losc.ligo.org/ — Access to LIGO/Virgo data, including the GW170817 strain data and posterior samples.
NICER Data Archive: Available through NASA's HEASARC. Includes pulse profile data and posterior samples for mass-radius measurements.