C. Motch, J. Wilms, et al.

The endpoints of stellar evolution, white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes are key laboratories to study matter in its most extreme conditions. High compactness, strong gravity and extreme magnetic fields turn these objects into unrivalled test beds for nuclear and particle physics, general relativity, and extreme magneto-hydrodynamical phenomena.

The unprecedented throughput and spectral resolution of Athena will allow new diagnostic studies of these sources even at very faint flux levels. The sensitivity, high spectral resolution, and high count rate capability of Athena will provide multiple, independent measurements of the neutron star mass/radius relation in a wide range of environments and conditions.

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