Research I’m interested in the physics of highly dense matter. How dense? As dense as the mass of the sun packed in an area as big (or small) as Chicago! This kind of matter is present in compact objects such as neutron stars, proto-neutron stars, and accretion disks around black holes. Compact objects can provide us with key information on the behavior of matter under conditions irreproducible in terrestrial laboratories. For example, core-collapse supernovae, gamma-ray bursts and x-ray superbursts are the most energetic explosions in the universe. During such explosions new elements are formed. Studying these objects can give us details related to the mechanism producing these explosions, the generation of rare isotopes and the emission of gravitational waves (to name a few things that make compact objects interesting).  In particular, I have been interested in the behavior of the ions in neutron star crusts. I have studied the scattering of neutrinos from the ions present in the crust, as well as transport properties, such as the thermal conductivity and the viscosity of the highly correlated ion plasma. For this purpose, I have used Molecular Dynamics simulations. Currently, I’m concerned with neutrino scattering from accretion disks around black holes. During the merger of two compact objects, a vast amount of neutrinos is emitted. In the case that one of this mergers happens, how many neutrinos would be detected? What would be their energy? Want to read more? http://www-spires.fnal.gov/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=ea+Caballero,+O+L Click here to see a 3D image of the surface at which neutrinos leave the accretion disk after being trapped in the dense medium (color represents temperature). http://www-spires.fnal.gov/spires/find/hep/www?rawcmd=ea+Caballero,+O+LDense/movie.avishapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1
Liliana Caballero
Research Associate North Carolina State University Physics Department Suite 410, Riddick Hall Raleigh, NC, Email: olcaball at ncsu dot edu  Bogota: 2600 mts closer to the stars Summer 2005 Indiana University PhD in Physics, 2008 Universidad Nacional de Colombia B.S Physics 1998 CV Links APS Women in physics: http://www.aps.org/programs/women/index.cfm National Society of Hispanic Physicists: http://www.hispanicphysicists.org/Dense/CVweb.pdfhttp://www.aps.org/programs/women/index.cfmhttp://www.hispanicphysicists.orgshapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1shapeimage_3_link_2