Flatiron Seminar Series: Matteo Cantiello

Title: You Must Have Chaos Within You To Give Birth To A Dancing Star

Abstract:
It is estimated that there are more stars in the universe than grains of sand on Earth. Yet stars’ significance goes beyond their sheer number: each star is far more complex than a mere grain of sand, and their births, lives, and deaths profoundly shape the evolution of galaxies and the chemical makeup of the cosmos.

In this talk, I will provide an overview of major recent breakthroughs in stellar physics, highlighting how multi-physics processes and cutting-edge computational methods are improving our understanding of stellar structure and evolution.

On the theoretical front, advanced numerical simulations now capture three-dimensional hydrodynamic and magnetohydrodynamic processes within stellar interiors with unprecedented realism. These simulations, together with observational advancements, guide and refine the simplified treatments historically used in one-dimensional stellar evolution models.

As a result, we are gradually untangling how turbulence, waves, and instabilities shape key evolutionary phases, from the slow simmer of hydrogen-fusing (main-sequence) stars to the cataclysmic endpoints that spawn the compact objects at the heart of many gravitational-wave sources.