Neutron star radii from laboratory experiments

Our present knowledge of the nuclear equation of state is briefly reviewed in this paper intended for a wider readership. Particular emphasis is given to the asymmetric-matter equation of state required for modeling neutron stars, neutron-star mergers, and r-process nucleosynthesis. Recent analyses based on combining information obtained from nuclear theory, heavy-ion collisions and astrophysical observations confine the obtained radii of the canonical 1.4-solar-mass neutron star to values between 12[Formula: see text]km and 13[Formula: see text]km. The remaining uncertainty is primarily related to missing information in the density interval between nuclear saturation density and about twice that value which, however, is accessible with laboratory experiments.