How Can Heavy-Ion Experiments Help Us Understand Neutron Star Mergers?

The microscopic properties of the strong-interaction matter under extreme conditions of temperature and density is a topic of great current interest. Despite 18 orders of magnitude difference in system size and time, the conditions present in heavy-ion collisions share great overlap with the conditions of the strong-interaction matter in neutron-star mergers. Unravelling the origin of nuclear symmetry energy and its density dependence, understanding the role of the isospin degree of freedom, determining the equation of state of nuclear matter at high density and the presence of a phase transition are among important physics questions.

This talk will discuss relevant experimental results obtained so far at various facilities and will try to establish connections and identify missing links between heavy-ion collisions and collisions involving neutron stars.