Seminari INFN

Semiclassical relativistic stars

by Raúl Carballo-Rubio (SISSA, Trieste)

Europe/Rome
Aula Conversi (Dip. di Fisica - Edificio G. Marconi)

Aula Conversi

Dip. di Fisica - Edificio G. Marconi

Description
The interlacing of general relativity and quantum mechanics, while still incomplete, has proven to be a driving force for theoretical research that has sparked the development of new ideas in the areas of strong gravity, quantum field theory and astrophysics. This talk will be focused on the description of stellar equilibrium in semiclassical gravity. I will introduce the notion of quantum vacuum polarization, discussing why it can be expected to be significant in ultracompact stellar configurations. I will then summarize the physical effects that these semiclassical contributions have on the equations of stellar equilibrium, and discuss the main properties of a family of exact solutions.