The Crust Equation of State for Neutron Stars

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) measures gravitational waves from black holes and neutron stars. Gravitational waves from neutron star mergers can be further used to study neutron star populations, properties of neutron stars and dense matter. One of the current challenges is to accurately model the equation of state which describes the state of matter in neutron stars. The LIGO Scientific Collaboration Algorithm Library (LAL) currently includes tabled equations of state for neutron stars designed to model a range of behavior in the core of the star. Currently, the library does not include realistic representations of how the neutron-star crust behaves over the possible range of nuclear interactions. I am working to incorporate realistic neutron star crust equations of state into LAL. This poster will highlight the current state of the project including matched EOSs between the core and crust in addition to its implications for the mass-radius relationship of neutron stars.