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Physicists seek accurate measurements of neutron stars’ masses and radii, which would help reveal their “equation of state”—the relationship between pressure and density within these stars.

Knowing the neutron star equation of state would in turn indicate what kind of matter hides inside them.

The equation of state they derived predicted that a neutron star containing the mass of 1.4 suns would have a radius of about 11.75 kilometers, plus or minus .81 to .86 km.

In the process, she realized that the landscape for neutron-star research—in particular, the question of the equation of state—should look very different by then.

With this precision, the group will be well placed to begin plotting out what is known as the neutron-star equation of state, which relates mass to radius or, equivalently, internal pressure to density.