Terzan 5 is a dense globular cluster near the Galactic center that has been predicted for >15 years to contain tens or even hundreds of millisecond pulsars (MSPs). Observations of MSPs in globular clusters provide unique probes into an astonishingly wide variety of science including relativity tests, stellar evolution, cluster dynamics and evolution, plasma physics, and black holes. But deep searches with some of the world's best radio telescopes had only managed to uncover 3 pulsars over the same period of time. This past year, observations at 2GHz with the Green Bank Telescope significantly changed all that with the discovery of (at least) 24 new MSPs, most of which are in binary systems. Several of these binaries are truly unique and/or exotic systems, and two them provide strong evidence for the existence of "massive" neutron stars (>1.6 Msun). In this talk I'll discuss the reasons behind the project, the observation itself, and some of the implications of the new discoveries.
Tuesday, May 10th
Seminar is to be held at 4:00 PM in the conference room
on the second floor of Dearborn Observatory
Refreshments will be served at 3:30
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