Astronomers studying pulsars have discovered that their interiors may contain incredibly dense matter found nowhere else in the universe.
The research examined the remains of a stellar explosion, the remnants of the supernova 3C 58, and the pulsar hidden within it.
Using the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton satellite, astronomers studied the pulsar PSR J0205+6449 at the center of 3C 58 and other similar objects.
Experts analyzed previously published data on neutron stars to determine the so-called equation of state.
This refers to properties such as pressure and temperature inside neutron stars.
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The researchers used machine learning to compare the equation of state data. BBC Sky at night From his report.
Pulsars can do things that no one else in the universe can do yet.
Some of the neutron stars studied, including 3C 58, have been found in supernova remnants, and since astronomers could estimate their age, they could guess the age of neutron stars produced by supernova explosions.
The neutron star in 3C 58, along with two other stars, was found to be much cooler than the other neutron stars in the study.
This is because these neutron stars are more massive, which means they contain more particles, and certain processes can cause them to cool faster than others.
These rapidly cooling neutron stars may be undergoing some type of radioactive decay near their core, or they may contain some mysterious, high-density material that was previously unknown.
“Three of these neutron stars are much cooler than their peers of the same age,” says Alessio Marino of the Institute of Space Sciences (ICE) in Barcelona, author of an article in the journal Nature Astronomy describing the planetary findings. search.
“That was a big sign that something strange might be going on with these things and we need to figure it out.”
“Because massive neutron stars contain more particles, special processes can lead to faster cooling,” says Clara Dehmann of ICE and co-author of the paper.
“It's as if the first answers to the crossword have already been entered – this makes it easy to fill in the rest of the answers.”
“We can't say for sure what's in these neutron stars, but the latest data suggests that something exotic is needed,” says co-author Nanda Rea.
“Understanding the structure and properties of neutron stars could be key to other areas of astrophysics, such as understanding bursts of gravitational waves as they merge.”
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