Strange pulses in the depths of space led astronomers to find a new type of neutron star (Credits: PA)
Astronomers have been following a mysterious radio signal from outer space to the discovery of a neutron star other than the one previously found.
The story begins with Manisha Caleb, a professor at the University of Sydney.
She and her colleagues were observing the Vela-X 1 region of the Milky Way, a part of space about 1,300 light-years from Earth.
They were using the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa when they noticed a strange-looking flash or “dust” that lasted about 300 milliseconds.
“The flash had some characteristics of a radio-transmitting neutron star. But that was not like anything we had seen before,” he said.
A neutron star is the collapsed remains of a massive supergiant star. Apart from a black hole, they are the smallest and densest stellar objects known to man.
When they are especially dense, they can be called pulsars, and often emit bursts of radio waves that we can pick up here on Earth.
The team used the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa to detect explosions (Credit: Getty Images)
“Our observation showed PSR J0941-4046 [which is what they named the star] it had some of the characteristics of a “pulsar” or even a “magnet”. Pulsars are the extremely dense remains of collapsed giant stars that usually emit radio waves from their poles, “Caleb said.
“As they rotate, radio pulses can be measured from Earth, a bit like a lighthouse would look like it flickers periodically in the distance.
“However, the longest known rotation period for a pulsar before it was 23.5 seconds, which means we could have found a whole new class of radio-emitting objects. are published in Nature Astronomy. ‘
Inside a star cemetery
In addition to finding a neutron star that sends pulses unlike anything we’ve seen before, the team also discovered that it’s inside a “graveyard” neutron star.
This particular region of space where PSR J0941-4046 is located is thought to be full of neutron stars at the end of its life cycle.
Artist’s impression of what a neutron star might look like if it were a magnet (Credits: PA)
Some of them are not so active, while others may be completely dead and inert.
“PSR J0941-4046 challenges our understanding of how neutron stars are born and evolve,” Caleb said.
“It’s also fascinating, as it appears to produce at least seven different dust shapes, while most neutron stars do not have this variety. This diversity in the shape of the pulse, as well as the intensity of the pulse, is probably related to the unknown physical emission mechanism of the object “.
We’ll let you know what it means by “unknown physical emission mechanism”.
Calbe continued: “A particular type of pulse shows a strongly ‘almost periodic’ structure, suggesting that some kind of oscillation is driving the radio emission. These pulses can provide us with valuable information about the internal operation of the pulse. PSR J0941-4046.
“These quasi – periodic pulses bear a certain resemblance to the enigmatic bursts of radio, which are short bursts of radio of unknown origin.
“However, it is not yet clear whether the PSR J0941-4046 emits the type of energy observed in fast radio bursts.”
This image depicts a neutron star with a warm dust disk producing an infrared signature around it (Credit: Space Telescope Science Institute)
Of course, as with any discovery of deep space, scientists are simply replacing the answers with more questions.
How long has this neutron star been active? Are there other stars like this in the galaxy? Is it even a neutron star in the classical sense or do we have to invent a new type of object to classify it?
“Detecting similar sources is a challenge, which means that there can be a larger population undetected waiting to be discovered,” Caleb said.
He concluded: “Our finding also adds to the possibility of a new transient class of radio: the ultra-long-period neutron star. Future searches for similar objects will be vital to our understanding of the neutron star population “.
MORE: “Absolutely massive” consequences of climate change in the Alps visible from space
MORE: Astronomers observe the farthest galaxy ever seen