The Nuclear Physics of the Neutron Star Crust

The neutron star crust, the 1 kilometer region on the surface composed of nuclei and superfluid neutrons, is the physical location of the majority of the phenomena observed in neutron stars. The composition of the crust is a fundamental input for the evolution of isolated and accreting neutron stars, and is important for the description of rp-process nucleosynthesis, gravitational waves generated from accretion, and giant gamma-ray flares. I show that the equation of state and the composition of the crust depend critically on the description of low-density neutron matter nuclear symmetry energy. Because of this dependence, experiments measuring masses of neutronrich nuclei and experiments measuring the symmetry energy are important in determining the composition of the crust. A self-consistent model of the neutron star crust is created, which allows one to properly understand the extent to which uncertainties in the nuclear physics generate uncertainties in the composition [1].