The Italian Smorgasbord Happening Inside Neutron Stars

The extraordinarily dense insides of neutron stars serve up large portions of the strongest known substances: quantum spaghetti, lasagna, bucatini, gnocchi, and waffles for dessert.

Neutron stars are the most bizarre bodies in the universe (Image Credit: Public Domain)

Neutron stars are deliciously weird. The post-supernova collapsed core of supermassive stars, they rotate upwards of 43,000 times per minute (24% the speed of light), are 10 times hotter than the Sun, can have magnetic fields 10 15times stronger than Earth’s, and are 10 14times denser than water. In fact, they’re so dense that one teaspoon weighs a billion tons. A neutron star the size of Los Angeles would weigh as much as our Sun. Beneath the surface, these conditions produce some mind-boggling states of matter that scientists have affectionately named nuclear pasta.

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The Iron Wall

Stars create energy by forcing hydrogen atoms, the lightest element, together into heavier and heavier elements. Put simply, hydrogen fusion creates…