3 Lectures on Neutron stars and their equation of state

Three hours of lectures on the basics of neutron stars and in-medium field theory as applied to cold quark matter at high densities. Given as part of a Ph.D. retreat for the Doktoratskolleg particles and interaction in Graz, Austria. Topics covered: (i) General properties of neutron stars and their observation (ii) theoretical techniques for computing the thermodynamic properties of dense matter (iii) current status of astrophysical and theoretical constraints on the behavior of dense matter.