  The equation of state of dense matter determines the structure of neutron
stars, their typical radii, and maximum masses. Recent improvements in
theoretical modeling of nuclear forces from the low-energy effective field
theory of QCD has led to tighter constraints on the equation of state of
neutron-rich matter at and somewhat above the densities of atomic nuclei, while
the equation of state and composition of matter at high densities remains
largely uncertain and open to a multitude of theoretical speculations. In the
present work we review the latest advances in microscopic modeling of the
nuclear equation of state and demonstrate how to consistently include also
empirical nuclear data into a Bayesian posterior probability distribution for
the model parameters. Derived bulk neutron star properties such as radii,
moments of inertia, and tidal deformabilities are computed, and we discuss as
well the limitations of our modeling.
