The MeerKAT telescope discovers the star. Credit: Daniel Futeselar
An international team led by a scientist from the University of Sydney has discovered an unusual radio signal emitting a neutron star that rotates extremely slowly, making one rotation every 76 seconds.
The star is unique because it is located in the “cemetery of neutron stars”, where no pulsations are expected. The discovery was made by the MeerTRAP team using the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa and published in Natural astronomy.
Initially, the star was detected by an impulse. It was then possible to confirm multiple pulses using simultaneous eight-second sequential images of the sky to confirm its position.
Neutron stars are extremely dense remnants of supernova explosions on massive stars. Scientists know about 3,000 of them in our galaxy. However, the new discovery does not look like anything seen so far. The team believes it may belong to the theorized class of ultra-long-term magnets – stars with extremely strong magnetic fields.
The study’s lead author, Dr Manisha Caleb, formerly of the University of Manchester and now of the University of Sydney, said:
“This means that we are very lucky that the radio beam intersected with the Earth.
Credit: University of Sydney
“Therefore, there are likely to be many more than these very slow-spinning stars in the galaxy, which has important implications for understanding how neutron stars are born and age.
“Most pulsar studies do not look for such long periods, so we have no idea how many of these stars may exist.
The newly discovered neutron star is called PSR J0901-4046 and appears to have at least seven different types of pulses, some of which are highly periodic. It shows the characteristics of pulsars, magnets with ultra-long periods and even fast radio bursts – short flashes of radio radiation in any place in the sky.
“This is the beginning of a new class of neutron stars. It remains to be seen how or whether it relates to other classes. There are probably many more out there. We just have to look, “said Dr. Caleb.
Astrophysicists theorize a new type of neutron star More information: Manisha Caleb, Discovery of a radio-emitting neutron star with an ultra-long rotation period of 76 s, Natural astronomy (2022). DOI: 10.1038 / s41550-022-01688-x. www.nature.com/articles/s41550-022-01688-x Courtesy of the University of Sydney
Citation: Unusual neutron star rotating every 76 seconds, discovered in Star Cemetery (2022, May 30), retrieved on May 30, 2022 from
This document is subject to copyright. Except for any fair transaction for the purpose of private research or study, no part may be reproduced without written permission. The content is provided for informational purposes only.
Add Comment