Prof. Charles J. Horowitz
Center for the Exploration of Energy and Matter and Department of Physics,Indiana
University, 701 E. Third St., Bloomington, IN 47405
Swain
Hall West Room 233 or Indiana University Cyclotron Facility 1215
Phone:
812 855-2959 or 855-0303
Email: horowit at Indiana dot edu
Research
I am a
theoretical nuclear physicist working on dense nuclear matter in the laboratory
and in astrophysics. Some of my publications
are listed on SPIRES
Conferences I have
co-organized in Nuclear Physics, Astrophysics, and Fundamental Symmetries.
Research
topics:
The Equation of State (pressure
versus density) of dense and or neutron rich nuclear matter.
Supernovae are giant stellar
explosions. I am interested in how supernovae depend on neutrino
interactions and the properties of dense matter.
Neutron stars are collapsed stars that are
the densest macroscopic objects this side of black holes.
Laboratory
measurements of nuclear properties important for astrophysics, such as
Measuring
the neutron radius of the heavy nucleus 208Pb via parity violating electron
scattering. This is the Pb Radius
Experiment (PREX) at Jefferson lab.
Star crust is 10 billion times stronger than steel
A NewScientist Web article by Rachel Courtland highlights
our recent paper:
The crust of neutron stars is 10 billion times stronger than steel, according to our large scale computer simulations. That makes the surface of these ultra-dense stars tough enough to support long-lived bulges that could produce gravitational waves detectable by experiments on Earth. Neutron stars are the cores left behind when relatively massive stars explode in supernovae. They are incredibly dense, packing about as much mass as the sun into a sphere just 20 kilometres or so across, and some rotate hundreds of times per second. Because of their extreme gravity and rotational speed, neutron stars could potentially make large ripples in the fabric of space but only if their surfaces contain bumps or other imperfections that would make them asymmetrical. (Illustration: Casey Reed/Penn State University.)
See The breaking strain of neutron star crust
and gravitational waves by C. J. Horowitz, and Kai Kadau,
Phys Rev. Letters 102, 191102 (2009).
Chemistry of neutron stars modeled for first time
A NewScientist Web article by David Shiga highlights our
recent paper on phase separation in neutron star crusts. We find, based on large scale molecular
dynamics simulations, that when material falls on a neutron star and freezes,
the lighter Z elements tend to remain behind in a liquid ocean. This chemical separation may change many
properties of neutron stars and could explain how carbon is concentrated until
it can ignite in a great thermonuclear explosion known as a superburst. It could also lead to a layered
structure for neutron stars with larger bumps that may efficiently radiate
gravitational waves.
See Astro-ph/0703062 Phase separation
in the crust of accreting neutron stars by C. J. Horowitz, D. K. Berry, E.
F. Brown, Phys Rev. E 75, 066101, 2007.
A
neutron star that siphons material from a partner has a solid crust of heavy
elements topped by an ocean of lighter elements. Occasionally, the ocean erupts
in a nuclear explosion (Illustration: Ed Brown, MSU)
Teaching
Fall of
2010 Electricity and
Magnetism I: P506
Fall of
2009 Classical Mechanics: P521 Click here for information
Spring 2009,
Spring
2008, P621 Relativisatic Quantum Field Theory
P110/
P120, Energy
P556, Statistical Physics
I organize
the Indiana University Physics Journal Club. Here graduate students make
informal presentations on exciting recent papers in any area of physics.
Some personal information
is here