Bose-Einstein condensates in neutron stars

Abstract

In the two decades since the appearance of the book "Bose-Einstein Condensation" in 1995, there have been a number of developments in our understanding of dense matter. After a brief overview of neutron star structure and the Bose-Einstein condensed phases that have been proposed, we describe selected topics, including neutron and proton pairing gaps, the physics of the inner crust of neutron stars, where a neutron fluid penetrates a lattice of nuclei, meson condensates, and pairing in dense quark matter. Especial emphasis is placed on basic physical effects and on connections to the physics of cold atomic gases.

22 pages, 2 figures, to appear in "Universal Themes of Bose-Einstein Condensation", edited by D.W. Snoke, N.P. Proukakis and P.B. Littlewood (Cambridge University Press)