* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Sunday, May 25, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    CT Senate backs panel to support struggling live entertainment venues – WSHU

    CT Senate Approves New Initiative to Aid Struggling Live Entertainment Venues

    Elizabeth Hurley Will Be ‘Deceased’ on New Reality Show The Inheritance – Yahoo

    Elizabeth Hurley Takes a Bold Turn in New Reality Show ‘The Inheritance

    SRM Entertainment Announces $5 Million Private Placement – GlobeNewswire

    SRM Entertainment Secures $5 Million Investment to Fuel Growth!

    Embracer intends to spin off Coffee Stain Group by the end of 2025, with remaining business rebranded as Fellowship Entertainment – GamesIndustry.biz

    Embracer intends to spin off Coffee Stain Group by the end of 2025, with remaining business rebranded as Fellowship Entertainment – GamesIndustry.biz

    San Jose eyes creation of entertainments zones with FIFA World Cup, Super Bowl LX on the horizon – The Mercury News

    San Jose Sets Its Sights on Exciting Entertainment Zones Ahead of FIFA World Cup and Super Bowl LX!

    Wilmington’s future of fun: 5 recreation and entertainment spaces planned in the Port City – Wilmington Star-News

    Exciting Developments Ahead: 5 New Recreation and Entertainment Spaces Coming to Wilmington!

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    The data center boom in the desert – MIT Technology Review

    Unleashing the Desert: The Thriving Data Center Revolution

    T. Hasegawa creates flavor technology for plant-based applications – Food Business News

    Revolutionizing Taste: T. Hasegawa’s Innovative Flavor Technology for Plant-Based Foods

    Nike cuts some jobs in technology division – Reuters

    Nike Streamlines Workforce: Job Cuts in Technology Division

    InfiMotion Technology launches TL 300 integrated drive system – Automotive Powertrain Technology International

    InfiMotion Technology Unveils Game-Changing TL 300 Integrated Drive System!

    Aera Technology Debuts Decision Intelligence Skill to Navigate Shifting Tariff Dynamics Across Value Chains – Silicon Canals

    Unlocking Success: Aera Technology Launches Innovative Decision Intelligence Skill to Tackle Evolving Tariff Challenges in Value Chains

    Auditory Processing and Psychosocial Improvements with Remote Microphone Technology: An Evidence Review – The Hearing Review

    Unlocking Sound: How Remote Microphone Technology Enhances Auditory Processing and Boosts Psychosocial Well-Being

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    CT Senate backs panel to support struggling live entertainment venues – WSHU

    CT Senate Approves New Initiative to Aid Struggling Live Entertainment Venues

    Elizabeth Hurley Will Be ‘Deceased’ on New Reality Show The Inheritance – Yahoo

    Elizabeth Hurley Takes a Bold Turn in New Reality Show ‘The Inheritance

    SRM Entertainment Announces $5 Million Private Placement – GlobeNewswire

    SRM Entertainment Secures $5 Million Investment to Fuel Growth!

    Embracer intends to spin off Coffee Stain Group by the end of 2025, with remaining business rebranded as Fellowship Entertainment – GamesIndustry.biz

    Embracer intends to spin off Coffee Stain Group by the end of 2025, with remaining business rebranded as Fellowship Entertainment – GamesIndustry.biz

    San Jose eyes creation of entertainments zones with FIFA World Cup, Super Bowl LX on the horizon – The Mercury News

    San Jose Sets Its Sights on Exciting Entertainment Zones Ahead of FIFA World Cup and Super Bowl LX!

    Wilmington’s future of fun: 5 recreation and entertainment spaces planned in the Port City – Wilmington Star-News

    Exciting Developments Ahead: 5 New Recreation and Entertainment Spaces Coming to Wilmington!

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    The data center boom in the desert – MIT Technology Review

    Unleashing the Desert: The Thriving Data Center Revolution

    T. Hasegawa creates flavor technology for plant-based applications – Food Business News

    Revolutionizing Taste: T. Hasegawa’s Innovative Flavor Technology for Plant-Based Foods

    Nike cuts some jobs in technology division – Reuters

    Nike Streamlines Workforce: Job Cuts in Technology Division

    InfiMotion Technology launches TL 300 integrated drive system – Automotive Powertrain Technology International

    InfiMotion Technology Unveils Game-Changing TL 300 Integrated Drive System!

    Aera Technology Debuts Decision Intelligence Skill to Navigate Shifting Tariff Dynamics Across Value Chains – Silicon Canals

    Unlocking Success: Aera Technology Launches Innovative Decision Intelligence Skill to Tackle Evolving Tariff Challenges in Value Chains

    Auditory Processing and Psychosocial Improvements with Remote Microphone Technology: An Evidence Review – The Hearing Review

    Unlocking Sound: How Remote Microphone Technology Enhances Auditory Processing and Boosts Psychosocial Well-Being

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

‘Vampire’ neutron star blasts are related to jets traveling at near-light speeds

March 28, 2024
in Science
‘Vampire’ neutron star blasts are related to jets traveling at near-light speeds
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

An illustration of a white orb surrounded by warm-toned, bright hazes in a disk shape. There are jets protruding from the orb. On the left of the image, a giant yellow and red star is seen stealing some of that disk material.

An illustration of a vampire neutron star feeding from a stellar companion powering a powerful astrophysical jet.
(Image credit: Danielle Futselaar, Nathalie Degenaar, Anton Pannekoek Institute, University of Amsterdam.)

A neutron star is the remains of a massive star that once died in a supernova explosion. As a whole, neutron stars are considered some of the most extreme objects in the known universe — and that’s especially true when these incredibly dense star remnants exist alongside companion stars (that haven’t yet “died”) close enough for a neutron star’s immense gravity to strip away material from that second star. In other words, the companion star is like the neutron star’s stellar victim.

These “vampire neutron stars” are special because they spring back to life like a cosmic Bela Lugosi. This is because a companion star’s infalling material triggers thermonuclear explosions at the neutron star’s surface. Some of this stolen matter is channeled toward the poles of the neutron star, from where it erupts at near-light speeds in the form of powerful astrophysical jets. Yet quite what causes these jets to be launched — and how they connect to these thermonuclear bursts — has remained a mystery. 

New research, however, has offered a lead in the puzzle. 

Scientists have revealed one way to measure the speeds of those jets and connect the values to the qualities of both a neutron star and the unfortunate binary companion star it feasts on. This could ultimately help resolve this jet-related dilemma, and perhaps offer information about other objects that strip matter from a companion star too, such as supermassive black holes. 

 Related: James Webb Space Telescope finds neutron star mergers forge gold in the cosmos: ‘It was thrilling’

“For the first time, we have been able to measure the speeds of the steady jets that are launched from a neutron star,” lead author and National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) scientist Thomas Russell told Space.com. “These jets, like those from accreting black holes, are an incredibly important in our universe, as they impart huge amounts of energy into their surroundings, affecting star formation, galaxy growth, and even how galaxies cluster together. But we don’t really understand how these jets are launched.”

Russell explained that, previously, scientists had thought the jets could be launched either due to the rotation of material stripped from a victim star as that material spirals in. There was also the theory that the jets are connected to the spin of the rotating object itself.

This new research could help pin down an answer about which mechanism is predominantly responsible.

“Our discovery of a connection between the thermonuclear explosions and the jets now offers us an easily accessible and repeatable probe to disentangle the launching mechanism of the jets in neutron stars,” Russell continued. “As we think jets are launched in very similar ways for all types of objects, this will help us understand how the jets are launched from all objects, even the supermassive black holes that reside at the centers of galaxies.”

Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!

How do neutron stars blow their top?

To reach their conclusion, Russell and colleagues examined two systems containing feeding neutron stars: The X-ray binaries 4U 1728-34 and 4U 1636-536. Both systems are known to periodically erupt with thermonuclear bursts.

Thermonuclear explosions on the surfaces of neutron stars are not a new phenomenon for scientists. These explosions have been analyzed for years, and Russell points out that astronomers have observed at least 125 “bursting” neutron stars in total.

“As the neutron star consumes matter from a nearby star, the accreted material builds up on the surface of the neutron star,” Russell said “At some point, the pressure becomes too great, and an unstable, runaway thermonuclear explosion occurs that spreads across the whole surface of the neutron star in a matter of seconds.” 

Bursts associated with 4U 1728-34 and 4U 1636-536 are visible in the X-ray band, meaning the team was able to use the European Space Agency’s International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) space telescope to detect them.

“We found that these explosions cause some extra material to be pumped into the jets for the tens of seconds that the bursts last,” Russell continued. “Using radio telescopes to monitor the jets with the Australia Telescope Compact Array, we were able to track this extra material as it flowed down the jets, basically providing us with a cosmic speed camera to measure the jet speed.”

An illustration of a solar-winged spacecraft with golden-hued, metallic wrapping.

An illustration of the INTEGRAL space telescope which was integral to determining the speed of jets from neutron stars. (Image credit: ESA)

What they wanted to see were changes in radio emissions following the X-ray bursts. 

Indeed, the team detected increases in radio brightness within minutes of each single thermonuclear explosion. This led the researchers to conclude that the evolution of jets is closely related to thermonuclear explosions.

“We were surprised at how clear the response was in the jets. These were very bright and clear flares flowing down the jet that were easily detectable,” Russell said. “We did expect some response but thought it would be much more subtle.”

Neutron star jets caught speeding

The speeds of these jets was the missing piece of the puzzle, the team says, which led to a link between the jets’ violent ejections and explosive feeding events. 

“The speed is incredibly important to understanding how the jets are launched, and this new discovery opens a very accessible window to answer that question,” Russell said.  “We can now apply this experiment to many other bursting neutron stars, and we can then compare how the jet speed correlates with the spin, mass, and possibly even magnetic field of the neutron star, all of which are thought to be key ingredients to jet launching.” 

Should the team see a correlation between one of those properties and the jet speed, it will reveal what the main launching mechanism for these jets is — be it the spin of the neutron star or the rotation of the infalling material.

This is the first time the speed of such a jet from a neutron star has been measured, but it’s worth noting that it has been measured before for black holes. However, Russell explained that neutron stars have a massive advantage over black holes when it comes to using them as a probe to investigate jet-launching mechanisms.

“Neutron stars can have very precisely measured spins, well-determined masses, and possibly even known magnetic field strengths, all of which are much harder to measure in black holes,” he said. “So it is only with neutron stars that we can, currently, begin to connect the system properties with the jets.”

All in all, the team has now seen this result in two feeding neutron star systems, but these are the only two they have looked at so far.

“We are applying our new technique to as many other bursting neutron stars as we can to reveal how the jet speeds vary with different neutron star properties,” he concluded. “Once we have built a sufficient sample, we will then be able to disentangle the key properties for jet production, revealing how the jets are launched.”

The team’s research was published on Wednesday (March 27) in the journal Nature.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Robert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space, Newsweek and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy from the U.K.’s Open University. Follow him on Twitter @sciencef1rst.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Space.com – https://www.space.com/neutron-star-jet-launching-measurement-binary-system

Tags: neutronscienceVampire
Previous Post

Tragic Baltimore bridge collapse aftermath seen from space (satellite photos)

Next Post

Supermassive black hole’s mysterious hiccups’ likely caused by neighboring black hole’s ‘punches’

Opportunities and challenges for monitoring terrestrial biodiversity in the robotics age – Nature

Opportunities and challenges for monitoring terrestrial biodiversity in the robotics age – Nature

May 25, 2025
How cuts to science funding will hurt ordinary Americans – The Economist

How Slashing Science Funding Will Impact Everyday Americans

May 25, 2025
Venus may be geologically ‘alive’ after all, reanalysis of 30-year-old NASA data reveals – Live Science

Is Venus Geologically Active? New Insights from Decades-Old NASA Data!

May 25, 2025
A longevity expert says he lowered his biological age by moving his entire family to the forest – Business Insider

How a Move to the Forest Helped a Longevity Expert Reverse His Biological Age

May 25, 2025
Palm Bay announces return of “World’s Largest Swimming Lesson” event – WFTV

Palm Bay Welcomes Back the Exciting “World’s Largest Swimming Lesson” Event!

May 25, 2025
Trump Resumes Effort to Destroy Economy – Rolling Stone

Trump’s Bold Move: Aiming to Wreck the Economy Again!

May 25, 2025
Ice bucket challenge makes a comeback, raises awareness for mental health – thesentinel.com

Reviving the Ice Bucket Challenge: A Powerful Movement for Mental Health Awareness!

May 25, 2025
Zachary Levi Says People Don’t Want To Work With Him Because Of His Political “Opinions” – BuzzFeed

Zachary Levi Reveals Why His Political Views Are Impacting His Career Opportunities

May 25, 2025
The data center boom in the desert – MIT Technology Review

Unleashing the Desert: The Thriving Data Center Revolution

May 25, 2025
Big Ten, SEC and … Ted Cruz: How Donald Trump’s college sports commission plan was abruptly halted – CBS Sports

Donald Trump’s College Sports Commission: The Surprising Halt and Its Impact on Big Ten and SEC

May 24, 2025

Categories

Archives

May 2025
MTWTFSS
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031 
« Apr    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (638)
  • Economy (650)
  • Entertainment (21,560)
  • General (15,233)
  • Health (9,691)
  • Lifestyle (655)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (653)
  • Politics (657)
  • Science (15,873)
  • Sports (21,158)
  • Technology (15,637)
  • World (639)

Recent News

Opportunities and challenges for monitoring terrestrial biodiversity in the robotics age – Nature

Opportunities and challenges for monitoring terrestrial biodiversity in the robotics age – Nature

May 25, 2025
How cuts to science funding will hurt ordinary Americans – The Economist

How Slashing Science Funding Will Impact Everyday Americans

May 25, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version