Latest news with #binarysystem
Sustainability Times
6 days ago
- Science
- Sustainability Times
'It's a Crazy, Unexplainable Signal From Space': Repeating Radio Burst Every 2 Hours Baffles Scientists and Reveals New Star System
IN A NUTSHELL 🔭 Detected by the LOFAR radio telescope, mysterious radio signals from Ursa Major repeat every two hours, defying traditional explanations. 🌌 The source is a binary system named ILT J1101, consisting of a white dwarf and a red dwarf in a tight orbit with intense magnetic interactions. and a in a tight orbit with intense magnetic interactions. 💡 This finding challenges existing models, revealing that not only neutron stars but also white dwarfs can emit long-duration radio pulses. can emit long-duration radio pulses. 🔍 The discovery opens new avenues for understanding fast radio bursts and the dynamics of binary star systems. The universe is a vast and mysterious expanse, full of phenomena that continue to intrigue scientists and astronomers. Among these phenomena is a series of radio signals that have been puzzling experts for over a decade. Originating from the constellation of Ursa Major, these signals repeat every two hours, challenging previously held astronomical theories. Detected by the LOFAR radio telescope, these signals differ from the known fast radio bursts (FRBs), as they last several seconds and occur with remarkable regularity. This article delves into the source of these enigmatic emissions and their implications for our understanding of the cosmos. A Binary System with Intense Magnetic Interactions At the heart of this cosmic puzzle is a binary system known as ILT J1101, consisting of a white dwarf and a red dwarf in a tight orbit around each other. Their complete revolution takes just 125.5 minutes, during which their magnetic fields collide, producing radio impulses detectable from Earth. Optical observations have confirmed the presence of these two stars, with the motion variations of the red dwarf measured through spectroscopy revealing the gravitational influence of the otherwise invisible white dwarf companion. This discovery marks a significant breakthrough, as it was previously thought that only neutron stars could emit long-duration radio pulses. The ILT J1101 binary system demonstrates that other compact objects, like white dwarfs, can also generate similar signals. This finding not only expands our understanding of binary star systems but also challenges existing models of stellar magnetic interactions. 'Earth Is Not Unique Anymore': Harvard Scientists Reveal Countless Earth-Like Planets Lurking in Distant Galaxies A Cosmic Mystery with Major Implications The regular radio pulses from ILT J1101 raise numerous questions about their origin. Are these emissions solely from the magnetic field of the white dwarf, or do they result from the interaction between the two stars? Researchers are actively investigating these hypotheses while searching for similar systems that could shed light on this phenomenon. This discovery could provide insights into the origins of some FRBs, those rapid radio bursts that remain poorly understood. It illustrates that binary systems with dead stars can generate powerful and regular radio emissions. Astronomers are eager to find other examples, hoping these will help unravel the complexities of such cosmic occurrences. Future research involves studying the system's ultraviolet emissions, which could reveal the temperature and history of the white dwarf, offering invaluable clues to solve this cosmic mystery. 'James Webb Spots Cosmic Shock': This Newly Found Ancient Structure Challenges Everything We Knew About the Early Universe Potential Insights into Fast Radio Bursts The nature of fast radio bursts has long eluded scientists, but the findings from ILT J1101 could offer new perspectives. By understanding how binary systems like ILT J1101 produce radio waves, scientists can explore whether similar mechanisms might be at play in other parts of the universe. The fact that a white dwarf-red dwarf system can produce such signals opens the door to reevaluating the sources of FRBs. With the potential to revolutionize our knowledge of radio astronomy, these findings suggest that several other compact binary systems might be waiting to be discovered. This prospect excites astronomers, as each system could provide unique data on magnetic field interactions and stellar evolution, ultimately contributing to a broader understanding of our universe's dynamics. 'Super-Earths Are Everywhere': New Study Reveals These Giant Alien Worlds Are Far More Common Than Scientists Ever Imagined The Role of Advanced Telescopes in Modern Astronomy The detection of the signals from ILT J1101 underscores the importance of advanced telescopes like LOFAR in modern astronomical research. These instruments allow scientists to observe the universe with unprecedented precision, capturing phenomena that were previously invisible. The capabilities of such telescopes are crucial for identifying and analyzing rare cosmic events, leading to groundbreaking discoveries. As technology continues to advance, telescopes will become even more powerful, enabling astronomers to delve deeper into the mysteries of the cosmos. This progress will not only enhance our understanding of known phenomena but also uncover new ones, pushing the boundaries of what we know about the universe. What other secrets might these powerful tools reveal in the coming years? The recent discoveries from ILT J1101 remind us of the vastness and complexity of our universe. They challenge existing theories and open new avenues for exploration in the field of radio astronomy. As we continue to unravel these cosmic mysteries, what other extraordinary phenomena might we encounter, and how will they reshape our understanding of the universe? Our author used artificial intelligence to enhance this article. Did you like it? 4.6/5 (28)
Gizmodo
22-05-2025
- Science
- Gizmodo
One Star Is Orbiting Inside Another in This Never-Before-Seen Binary System
For the first time, astronomers have spotted a rapidly spinning neutron star that is gravitationally bound to a helium star companion. The discovery of this unusual binary system helps confirm a long theorized—but rarely seen—cosmic process called common envelope evolution. Binary star systems, or pairs of stars that orbit around each other, are very common. In fact, it's estimated that 85% of stars in the universe have at least one companion. But this newly discovered pair is unlike any seen before. In this case, a helium star is bound to a millisecond pulsar: a fast-spinning neutron star that emits beams of radiation at regular intervals. These stars achieve their extraordinary rotation rates by siphoning matter from nearby stellar companions. In May 2020, a team of researchers led by Jin Lin Han, a radio astronomer at the National Astronomical Observatories and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, used China's FAST radio telescope to detect weak signals from a point deep within the Milky Way galaxy. A few months later, the researchers confirmed that these signals were radiation emissions from a pulsar. They then tracked these bursts for four and a half years, and their measurements revealed that this star isn't alone. It's actually part of a binary system, orbiting its companion every 3.6 hours. But for one-sixth of that orbit, the pulsar's radiation is blocked—or eclipsed—by its companion. 'That's a large part of the orbit,' Han told Gizmodo. 'That's strange, only a larger companion can do this.' In binary systems, a millisecond pulsar is usually accompanied by a white dwarf: a hot, dense core left behind after a star like our Sun has exhausted its fuel. But the data Han and his colleagues collected indicated that this companion had to lie somewhere in between a compact object and a normal star, he said. Further investigation of this strange companion revealed that it is roughly as massive as our Sun, but it couldn't be a normal star because it was undetectable in all wavelengths outside of the radio spectrum. This led the researchers to conclude that it's a star stripped clean of its hydrogen, leaving behind a core primarily composed of helium. They published their findings today in the journal Science. This type of binary system 'has never been discovered before,' Han said. But it has long been theorized that such a pairing could form via common envelope evolution, and he and his colleagues believe that's what happened here. 'The process of common envelope evolution is slightly different to how stars like pulsars are often thought to interact in binary systems,' Duncan Lorimer, a professor of physics and astronomy at West Virginia University who was not involved in the study, told Gizmodo in an email. Normally, a neutron star's intense gravitational field pulls material from a companion star that has expanded, allowing its gaseous outer layers to be 'eaten' by the neutron star, he explained. This process, called accretion, causes the neutron star to 'spin up' and become a pulsar. But in common envelope evolution, 'the companion star is so large that its outer layers engulf the neutron star as well,' Lorimer said. 'This acts as a brake on the whole binary system.' Inside the companion star's outer layers—the envelope—friction causes the pulsar and the companion's core to spiral toward each other, forming a highly compact binary system, like the one Han and his colleagues have now observed. With an orbital period of just 3.6 hours, this pulsar and its companion are circling each other very closely. Ultimately, the outer layers of the companion star are expelled, Lorimer said, which explains why this millisecond pulsar's helium star companion has been stripped. 'The evolutionary pathway that the authors set out, it's not a surprising pathway,' Victoria Kaspi, a professor of physics at McGill University who was not involved in the study, told Gizmodo. 'It's one that has been recognized, identified, discussed in detail for many years.' 'The interesting question is, if you're going to find 1,000 millisecond pulsars, what fraction of them will be like this one? It's about one in 1,000—something like that. And they found it,' she said. Han and his colleagues believe there are more than a dozen other systems like this one in our galaxy, making them exceptionally rare. The fact that these researchers found one of them is a 'great breakthrough,' Lorimer said. 'The more millisecond pulsars we find, the more likely we are to find examples of rare evolutionary outcomes. This system is an excellent example of that,' he said.
