An international team of astronomers accidentally discovered a new pulsar using the MeerKAT telescope. The newly discovered object, designated PSR J1710−3452, turned out to be a multi-range radio pulsar. The finding was reported on the prepress server on June 19. arXiv.

Pulsars are rotating neutron stars with strong magnetization that emit a beam of electromagnetic radiation. They often appear as short bursts of radio radiation; but some are also observed with optical, X-ray and gamma-ray telescopes.

Recently, a team of astronomers led by Mayuresh Surnis from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER Bhopal) in India observed a millisecond pulsar known as PSR J1708−3506 using the MeerKAT telescope as part of the MeerTIME program. During these observations, they accidentally discovered a new pulsar due to its individual impacts.

“The object was discovered thanks to the detection of 97 bright radio pulses in just one of 66 observation periods spanning nearly three years. The bright pulses made it possible to locate the source with an accuracy of 0.5 inches using radio imaging,” he wrote in the paper.

According to the study, PSR J1710−3452 has a relatively long rotation time of about 10.4 seconds and a dispersion factor of 189 pc/cm.³. The strength of this pulsar’s surface magnetic field is estimated to be 25 quadrillion Gauss.

Individual pulses of PSR J1710−3452 were found to show broadly similar emission, but a large variation in structure over shorter timescales than observed. Also, each pulse has two main emission components separated by about 0.7 seconds, with a total pulse width of more than one second, corresponding to a pulse interval of about 10%.

Astronomers noted that such a large duty cycle is often observed in radio-noise magnetars. In general, magnetars are neutron stars with extremely strong magnetic fields one quadrillion times stronger than our planet’s magnetic field. Additionally, the researchers suggest that the highly spaced nature of PSR J1710−3452 and its position in the Milky Way suggest it may be part of an older magnetar population.

“If this really is a magnetar, it is located at a relatively high Galactic latitude (2.9°), making it potentially one of the oldest and most spaced magnetars known in the Galaxy. This object’s very short window of activity is unique, and long-period neutrons emit high-current radio emitters. may indicate an as yet undiscovered population of stars,” the authors of the paper concluded. The astronomers added that further research on PSR J1710−3452 and further exploration of similar sources are needed to confirm the ancient magnetar scenario for this pulsar. Source