TO TRY to understand neutron stars, researchers have abandoned telescopes for
a new tool a billion billion times smaller—the nucleus of a lead atom.
Neutron stars, like the one at the heart of the Crab Nebula, have a
radius of only a dozen kilometres or so but weigh more than the Sun. Despite
often pumping out X-rays or radio signals, it is hard to determine the structure
of a neutron star just from its radiation.
Researchers think that a neutron star is solid on the outside with a liquid
centre. They want to know how thick the solid neutron…
