Neutron Stars and Neutron Skins: Connecting Finite Nuclei to Dense Matter

Abstract

This is a brief overview of the connection between neutron skin thickness in finite nuclei and the equation of state of neutron-rich matter, with applications to neutron stars. Multiple experimental probes are discussed, including dipole polarizability, parity-violating electron scattering, heavy-ion fragmentation, quasi-free scattering, and ultraperipheral collisions. A consistent picture emerges from Bayesian analyses combining experimental data and energy density functionals, providing constraints on the symmetry energy and its slope.

11 pages, no figures, Invited talk at the XLVII Symposium on Nuclear Physics, Cocoyoc (Mexico), January 2026