Victoria M. KASPI
McGill University

Revolutions in Neutron Star Astrophysics

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Neutron stars, like their black hole cousins, embody physics of the extreme: their physical properties and environments are not merely unrealizable in Terrestrial laboratories but indeed are extreme even when compared with the known Universe's vast zoo of bizarre objects. Interestingly, research into neutron stars has been punctuated, arguably more so than in any other astrophysical field, by surprising "revolutions," in which major unpredicted and/or unexpected discoveries shock even the most seasoned of scientists. In this talk, we discuss some of the most recent major discoveries, including the existence of "magnetars," young neutron stars having Universal record-holding magnetic field strengths, as well as the very recent discovery of the first double pulsar system, and its amazing radiative and relativistic properties.