Neutron stars are the dense remnants of a massive star’s supernova explosion. As the neutron star rotates, it can produce beams of radio waves that sweep across the sky, producing regular flashes like cosmic beacons. Scientists have known more than 3,000 neutron stars in our galaxy.
An ERC-funded international team of scientists led by members of the MeerTRAP (More Transients and Pulsars) group at the University of Manchester has discovered a strange neutron-emitting radio star that spins very slowly, completing a rotation every 76 seconds. The discovery of this strange rotating star is different from anything seen so far.
Scientists reported that it is a unique discovery, as it belongs to the cemetery of neutron stars, where they do not expect to see any radio broadcasts.
Scientists named the neutron star PSR J0901-4046, which shows the characteristics of pulsars, magnets (very long period) and even fast bursts of radio. The radio energy it emits suggests a pulsar origin, the pulses with chaotic components of subpoles and the polarization of the pulses are reminiscent of magnets.
The discovery was made using the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa. The MeerTRAP instrument initially detected a single flash or pulse, while conducting image observations directed by a different computer, ThunderKAT.
MeerTRAP and ThunderKAT then collaborated to find out where it came from. Subsequently, it was possible to validate the pulses and obtain an accurate position for the source by combining the data from the two teams, allowing for more thorough and sensitive tracking observations.
Dr Manisha Caleb, formerly of the University of Manchester and now at the University of Sydney, who led the research, said: “Surprisingly, we only detect radio emissions from this source during 0.5% of its This means that it is very fortuitous for the radio beam to intersect with the Earth, so there are likely to be many more of these sources spinning very slowly in the galaxy, which has important implications for how neutron stars are born and age “.
“Most pulsar surveys do not look for such long periods, so we have no idea how many of these sources there might be. In this case, the source was bright enough to be able to detect unique pulses with the instrument. MeerTRAP and MeerKAT “.
The rotation period of this strange neutron star was more consistent with a white dwarf. He continues to dodge how long this source has been broadcasting on the radio. It was discovered in a well-studied part of the Galaxy, but radio surveys do not usually look for long periods or pulses lasting more than tens of milliseconds.
Professor Ben Stappers of the University of Manchester and lead researcher on the MeerTRAP project said: “The radio emission of this neutron star is different from anything we’ve ever seen before. , which is much longer than most radio-emitting neutron stars.It appears that there are at least seven different types of pulses, some of which show strongly periodic structures, which could be interpreted as seismic vibrations of the star. These pulses could be giving us a vital insight into the nature of the emission mechanism of these sources. “
Dr Ian Heywood of the ThunderKAT team and the University of Oxford, who collaborated on the study, said: from heaven they made this discovery possible.He needed an eagle’s eye to recognize him for something that was possibly a real source because he looked so unusual!
This new finding reinforces the case of a new type of radio transient known as ultra-long-period neutron stars, which involves a link between the evolution of highly magnetic neutron stars, ultra-long-period magnetars, and fast bursts. of radio.
Magazine reference:
- Caleb, M., Heywood, I., Rajwade, K. et al. Discovery of a radio-emitting neutron star with an ultra-long rotation period of 76 s. Nat Astron (2022). DOI: 10.1038 / s41550-022-01688-x