Constraints on Dense Matter from Neutron Star Observations and Effective Field Theory Calculations

Neutron stars are one of the most fascinating objects in the universe, exploring matter at the highest densities that we can observe. Recent gravitational wave observations of binary neutron star mergers, as well as radio and X-ray observations of millisecond pulsars, have constrained the global properties of neutron stars such as their masses, radii, and tidal deformabilities. This has given us valuable new insights into the Equation of State of dense matter. Simultaneously, there have been significant efforts in the theoretical modeling of the dense matter Equation of State. In this talk, I will discuss how state-of-the-art Effective Field Theories based on the symmetries of QCD can be used to make predictions for nucleonic matter present in neutron stars. I will also discuss the plausible existence of exotic, i.e. non-nucleonic matter in neutron stars and how one could potentially use the recent experimental data as well as perturbative QCD calculations to detect their presence in the inner cores of neutron stars.