Using the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER), an international team of astronomers has investigated a recently discovered X-ray transient designated MAXI J1348−630. Results of the new observations suggest that the source is a black hole X-ray binary. The study is detailed in a paper published September 16 on arXiv.org. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-09-maxi-j1348630-black-hole-x-ray.html…
Tag: neutron
Physicists develop a method to improve gravitational wave detector sensitivity
Gravitational wave detectors have opened a new window to the universe by measuring the ripples in spacetime produced by colliding black holes and neutron stars, but they are ultimately limited by quantum fluctuations induced by light reflecting off of mirrors. LSU Ph.D. physics alumnus Jonathan Cripe and his team of LSU researchers have conducted a new experiment with scientists from Caltech…
Cosmic X-rays reveal a distinct signature of black holes
An international team of astrophysicists has found distinctive signatures of black hole event horizons, unmistakably separating them from neutron stars, which are objects comparable to black holes in mass and size but confined within a hard surface. This is by far the strongest steady signature of stellar-mass black holes to date. The team consisting of Mr. Srimanta Banerjee and Professor Sudip…
What are white dwarf stars?
White dwarfs are dead stars. A single white dwarf contains roughly the mass of our sun in a volume no bigger than our planet. Our sun will become a white dwarf someday. Source: https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/white-dwarfs-are-the-cores-of-dead-stars…
Elements of surprise: Neutron stars contribute little, but something’s making gold, research finds
Neutron star collisions do not create the quantity of chemical elements previously assumed, a new analysis of galaxy evolution finds. The research also reveals that current models can’t explain the amount of gold in the cosmos—creating an astronomical mystery. The work has produced a new-look Periodic Table showing the stellar origins of naturally occurring elements from carbon to uranium. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-09-elements-neutron-stars-contribute-gold.html…
Proposal for observatory to detect gravitational waves
Researchers could detect more mergers of black holes and neutron stars with plans for a new flagship gravitational wave observatory in Europe moving a step closer. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-09-observatory-gravitational.html…
Millihertz quasi-periodic oscillations detected in an X-ray binary
Astronomers from Australia and Taiwan report the discovery of millihertz quasi-periodic oscillations in a neutron-star low-mass X-ray binary known as 1RXS J180408.9−342058. The discovery, detailed in a paper published September 3 on the arXiv preprint server, could help astronomers better understand the nature and behavior of X-ray binary sources. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-09-millihertz-quasi-periodic-oscillations-x-ray-binary.html…
Strongest magnetic field in universe directly detected by X-ray space observatory
The Insight-HXMT team has performed extensive observations of the accreting X-ray pulsar GRO J1008-57 and has discovered a magnetic field of ~1 billion Tesla on the surface of the neutron star. This is the strongest magnetic field conclusively detected in the universe. This work, published in the Astrophysical Journal, was primarily conducted by scientists from the Institute of High Energy Physics…
Repeating fast radio burst woke up again on schedule. Now what?
FRB 121102 is one of the few known repeating fast radio bursts, and astronomers are trying to use this new period of activity to understand it better. Some predict the current active phase should end sometime between August 31 and September 9. Will it? Source: https://earthsky.org/space/repeating-fast-radio-burst-frb-121102-wakes-up-chime…
Microscopic deformation of a neutron star inferred from a distance of 4500 light-years
Imagine that the size of a bacterium is measured from a distance of about 4500 light-years. This would be an incredible measurement, considering that a bacterium is so small that a microscope is required to see it, and what an enormous distance light can travel in 4500 years, given that it can round the Earth more than seven times in just…