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A research team has discovered an extremely unusual star that can transform into a magnetar, the most magnetic object in the known universe. Astronomers have discovered an extremely
A research team has discovered an extremely unusual star that can transform into a magnetar, the most magnetic object in the known universe.
Astronomers have discovered an extremely unusual star that has the strongest magnetic field ever found in a massive star and could become one of the most magnetic objects in the universe: a variant of a neutron star known as a magnetar. This discovery marks the discovery of a new type of astronomical object (a large magnetic helium star) and sheds light on the origin of magnetars.
Neutron stars are dense remnants of a massive star after it exploded as a supernova. These remains are considered the densest matter in the universe. Some neutron stars, known as magnetars, also claim the record for the strongest magnetic field of any object. How magnetars, which are only 15 kilometers (9 miles) in diameter, generate and produce such enormous magnetic fields remains a mystery.
New observations by a team of astronomers, including André-Nicolas Chanet of NSF NOIRLa, may shed important light on the origin of these magnetic power stations. Using various telescopes around the world, including the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) on Maunakea, researchers have identified a new type of astronomical object: a massive magnetic helium star. This unusual variant of a Wolf-Rayet star could be a harbinger of a magnetar.
Chanet explained: “For the first time, a strong magnetic field has been detected in a massive helium star. Our study shows that this helium star will end its life as a magnetar.”
The true nature of this star, designated HD 45166, is largely unknown, despite astronomers observing it for over a century. Only the basic facts have been revealed, including that it is rich in helium, slightly larger than our Sun, and is part of a binary system.
“This star has become my obsession,” said astronomer Tomer Schenar of the University of Amsterdam and lead author of the study published in the journal. Science . Having previously studied similar helium-rich stars, Chenard was interested in the unusual properties of HD 45166, which shares some of the features of a Wolf-Rayet star but has a unique spectral signature. He suspected that magnetic fields could explain these surprising properties. “I remember when I read literature: ‘What if the star is magnetic?'” he said.
Chenard, Chanet and collaborators decided to test this hypothesis by making new spectroscopic observations of this star system with the CFHT. These observations revealed that this star has an extraordinarily strong magnetic field, about 43,000 gauss; This is the strongest magnetic field ever detected in a massive star. By also examining its interaction with its companion star, the team was able to make accurate estimates of its mass and age.
The researchers suggest that unlike other helium stars that eventually evolved from a red supergiant, this particular star was likely created by the merger of a pair of medium-mass stars.
In a few million years, HD 45166, 3,000 light-years away in the constellation of the Unicorn, will explode as a very bright but not overly energetic supernova. During this explosion, the core will trap and intensify, compressing the star’s already formidable magnetic field lines. The result will be a neutron star with a magnetic field of about 100 trillion gauss, the strongest type of magnet in the universe.
“We thought the most likely candidates for a magnetar would be the most massive stars,” Chenet said. “This work shows us that much less massive stars can still become magnetars if conditions are right.” Source
Source: Port Altele
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