About us
Welcome to NEUTRONSTARS (2026-2033), the first astrophysics-themed Centre of Excellence of the Research Council of Finland! The centre is comprised of five independent research groups, operating at the physics departments of the Universities of Helsinki, Jyväskylä, and Turku.
These pages – that are still under development – will contain topical information of the centre and its activities, including recent research outputs, job openings, and various events organized by us. We also host a curated list of facts about neutron stars for the general public and experts.
Centre of Excellence Program
The Finnish Centres of Excellences operate at the very cutting edge of science in their fields, carving out new avenues for research, developing creative research environments and innovations, and training new talented researchers for the Finnish research and business sectors.
The units granted Centre of Excellence status by the Research Council of Finland are scientifically first-rate research communities that have capacity for renewal and high societal impact. Their programmes contribute to the renewal of science by supplying new research topics, new methods and approaches, and new research teams. Thanks to the long-term funding, they effectively works as an incentive for risk-taking and new initiatives in research.
Principal investigators
Anu Kankainen
Professor of Experimental Nuclear Physics, University of Jyväskylä, Vice Director
Kankainen studies nuclear burning in extreme environments close to neutron stars. She leads a research program in understanding the merger physics of neutron star binaries and the subsequent kilonovas.
anu.kankainen [at] jyu.fi
Markus Kortelainen
Professor of Theoretical Nuclear Physics, University of Jyväskylä
Kortelainen studies the theoretical structure of nucleons in the extreme densities inside neutron stars and leads a research program on the high-density nuclear physics of NSs cores.
markus.kortelainen [at] jyu.fi
Joonas Nättilä
Associate Professor of Plasma Astrophysics, University of Helsinki
Nättilä performs theoretical and computational studies of the extreme plasmas around neutron star. He leads a research program on understanding the magnetospheric dynamics of pulsars, magnetars, and neutron-star mergers.
joonas.nattila [at] helsinki.fi
Juri Poutanen
Professor of Astrophysics, University of Turku
Poutanen studies the high-energy astrophysics of isolated and binary neutron stars. He leads a research program on understanding the neutron star surface physics, including observable X-ray emission and accretion dynamics.
juri.poutanen [at] utu.fi
Aleksi Vuorinen
Professor of Theoretical Particle Physics, University of Helsinki, Director
Vuorinen studies the properties of dense quark matter with the machinery of perturbative Quantum Chromodynamics. He is responsible for the smooth operation of the CoE and participates in research programs on neutron-star cores, magnetospheres and mergers.
aleksi.vuorinen [at] helsinki.fi
Latest News
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Kick-off meeting in Helsinki
The kick-off meeting of the Centre of Excellence in Neutron-Star Physics took place from the 31st of March to the 2nd of April at the Kumpula campus of the University of Helsinki.
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High-Performance Computing in Sciences
This seminar series will focus on computing, numerics, software development, and their applications across scientific disciplines. Our goal is to invite leading experts from both academia and industry to give talks a few times each semester. Seminars are…
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Physics of Neutron Stars
Neutron stars (NSs) and their surroundings constitute one of the most extreme environments in the present-day Universe.