‘Vampire’ neutron star explosion linked to near-light-speed jet phenomenon

What is a neutron star?

Neutron star refers to the remains of a massive dead star that suffered a supernova explosion. Active companion stars to neutron stars are those that are close enough to the neutron star’s gravitational pull to be able to strip away material.

Thus, neutron stars are called “vampire neutron stars”, because the infalling material of the companion star triggers thermonuclear explosions on the neutron star’s surface, causing powerful astrophysical jets to emerge at near-light speeds. Therefore, the dead neutron makes the star active.

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Here’s what scientists suggest

“For the first time, we have been able to measure the motion of a stable jet launched from a neutron star,” said lead author Thomas Russell, a scientist at the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF). space.com,

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He explained that these jets, like growing black holes, are incredibly important in our universe. Their importance is reflected in the fact that they provide huge amounts of energy to their surroundings. It affects star formation, galaxy evolution, and the process by which galaxies clump together.

“But we don’t really understand how these jets are launched,” said Thomas Russell. space.com,

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The scientist further said that, previously, scientists had thought that the jet could be launched by the rotation of material stripped from a victim star as that material spirals. It was also theorized that the jets are linked to the spin of the rotating object itself.

This new research has provided insight into the puzzle of what causes these jets to launch and how they connect to these thermonuclear explosions, which has remained a mystery until now.

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lead the mystery

Scientists discovered that a way to measure the speed of the jets emitted from neutron stars can be calculated by adding the values ​​of the properties of both the neutron star and its binary companion.

This jet-related dilemma could potentially be solved and would provide information about other objects in the universe such as supermassive black holes that snatch matter from a companion star.

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Published: March 30, 2024, 06:59 PM IST