Journey to the Center of a Neutron Star: From Astrophysical Observations to the Neutron Star Equation of State*

Neutron stars are among the densest objects in the universe. As such, they provide a unique laboratory for studying the behavior of matter when pushed to the extreme. In this talk, I will discuss the various ways that astronomers are using neutron stars to probe the so-called equation of state. In particular, I will briefly review the latest in mass and radius measurements of neutron stars. I will then present a mapping that we have developed to infer the interior structure of the star from these types of observations. Finally, I will discuss what we have learned from the first detection of gravitational waves from a neutron star merger and what we hope to learn from future detections.