Biographical Sketch:
Ph.D., Astrophysics, 1991 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign M.S., Astrophysics, 1987 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign B.S., Physics, 1984 University of Missouri-Rolla
Interests:
One of the outstanding questions in modern physics research concerns the state of matter above nuclear density (~1014 g cm-3). It is unknown whether matter at these densities is in the form of nucleons, quasi-free quarks, pions, kaons, hyperons, etc. Laboratory experiments are only beginning to shed light on this question. Whatever the state of superdense matter, it exists in abundance in the neutron stars we have throughout our galaxy (now over ~1500 known). My research uses neutron stars as laboratories with which to study matter at densities currently inaccessible in terrestrial laboratories. The conditions in a neutron star are extreme. The average density is such that 1 cm3 of material has a mass exceeding 108 metric tons. Typical internal temperatures are ~108 K and above. A neutron star contains about a solar mass of superconducting liquid, permeated by a magnetic field that is at least 106 times larger than what we can produce even briefly on Earth. Neutron stars have violent lives; they can suffer starquakes, produce jumps in spin rate, accrete matter from other stars or the interstellar medium, and produce explosions. Some of these events involve energies in excess of 1042 ergs (the amount of energy emitted by the Sun in 1000 years). The drawing below shows the current understanding of the neutron star interior. SFn denotes superfluid neutrons; SCp denotes superconducting protons.  Aspects of neutron stars that are studied observationally include spin evolution, thermal evolution, radii and masses. These data can be used to probe the exotic neutron star interior. My research focuses on theoretical study of the neutron star interior and the development of diagnostic probes with which to constrain the properties and dynamics of the superstrong neutron star crust and the quantum liquid it contains. Recently I have been studying neutron star, "wobble" (precession), which seriously challenges the picture shown above. I have also been studying timing noise (quasi-random spin fluctuations) in neutron stars, the possibility that some young neutron stars can produce observable high-energy neutrinos, and the thermal evolution of neutron stars.
Selected Publications:
"Dynamics of Quantum Vorticity in a Random Potential, B. Link 2009, PRL, 102, 131101. "Evidence for Heating of Neutron Stars by Magnetic Field Decay", J. Pons, B. Link, J. A. Miralles & U. Geppert 2007, PRL, 98, 071101. "Incompatibility of Long-period Precession with Creeping Vortices", B. Link 2006, A&A, 458, 881. "Flux Predictions of High-energy Neutrinos from Neutron Stars", B. Link & F. Burgio 2006, MNRAS, 371, 375.
"Precession of the Isolated Neutron Star PSR 1828-11", T. Akgun, B. Link & I. Wasserman, 2006, MNRAS, 365, 653. "TeV Neutrinos from Young Neutron Stars", B. Link & F. Burgio, 2005, PRL, 94, 181101. "Constraining Hadronic Superfluidity with Neutron Star Precession", B. Link 2003, 91, 101101.
Academic Responsibilities:
Classes being taught by Dr. Link this semester are listed below. Follow the link to find the online content for the class:-
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