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Magnetars are one of the strangest and most mysterious objects in the universe, packed with trillions of times more magnetism than Earth or any man-made magnet.
Scientists do not yet know exactly how these objects are formed. However, a unique helium-rich star exists in he 3,000 stars. light year There may be some answers, according to a study published August 17 in the journal Science.
Researchers say the star’s mysterious behavior cannot be explained by conventional models. But it could be explained by the magnetic field. The magnetic field turned out to be very strong indeed, making it the most magnetic massive star ever recorded. It even spawned a new definition: a “massive magnetic helium star”.
Scientists now believe that the star may one day collapse in a supernova explosion. And as a result of that explosion, a magnetar may be born. A magnetar is a dead star with a magnetism billions of times stronger than that of a modern star.
This at least provides one answer to the question of how magnetars form. There may be other ways, the study authors point out. But it’s a big step forward in solving the magnetar mystery that has puzzled scientists for decades.
The massive magnetic helium star at the center of this study is part of a two-star system called HD 45166. And the star in this system, or host star, is an obsession for the study’s lead author and researcher, Tomar Schener. Astronomer at the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands.
“Except for this one, we haven’t actually seen them because they’re so hard to detect,” Shenner said of the HD 45166 type star.
He calls the star his “pet,” as colleague and study co-author Julia Bodensteiner jokes. phone It’s “Zombie Star”. Because “it turns Tomer into a zombie”.
This star looks like a Wolf-Rayet star, which is the stage that very massive stars go through before collapsing into a neutron star or black hole. However, the star’s mass was much smaller than that of a typical Wolf-Rayet star.
“Basically, it’s an object that defies our models and theories,” Shenner told CNN.
But Schener thought a magnetic field could explain why the star looks like a Wolf-Rayet star but has much less mass.
Shenner didn’t believe it at first either. And convincing his fellow researchers won’t be easy, he said. But the evidence was so compelling that Shenner and his colleagues had access to highly competitive astronomical instruments, such as the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, which can detect and measure magnetic fields in Hawaii. is ready.
The results were astonishing.
The star was found to have a magnetic field of 43,000 Gauss. By the way, the earth has a magnetic field of about 0.5 gauss, which allows compasses to work and birds to navigate.
Researchers believe the star’s magnetic field was created by a merger with another star. Essentially, the study states that the two-star system contained three of her stars, with one star engulfing one of its companion stars, her, forming a highly magnetic core.
Researchers believe that the giant, magnetic helium star will collapse and explode into a supernova in about a million years.
Its explosion produces a neutron star. A neutron star occurs when the protons and electrons at the center of the star decay to form neutrons. This is essentially the dead remnant of a once huge, brightly burning star.
Scientists already knew that 10% of neutron stars Also a magnetar. But they never knew how it was created.
And the answer is this perfect cosmic brew. A star that merges with another star to form a highly magnetic core can later collapse into a neutron star with all the properties of a magnetar.
At least that’s one answer, says Shenner.
“The question at the moment is whether this is the primary formation channel or just another method of formation, but it’s probably not the most common method,” he said. “But certainly it’s a new way.”
Dr. Harsha Bloomer, a researcher at West Virginia University who wasn’t involved in the study but has studied magnetars extensively, called the study “definitely fascinating.” She added that this is consistent with some of her own research showing that Wolf-Rayet stars may be the ancestors of magnetars.
She acknowledged another theory of magnetar formation.it is called “”magnetar modeland postulates that “intense heat and rotation can induce convective motion within the nucleus of a neutron star, which can generate strong magnetic fields through dynamo action.” It’s the same way scientists assume the Earth has a magnetic field.
However, “it’s important to note that none of these theories are mutually exclusive,” she added.
Of course, the giant magnetic helium star is still about a million years away from decaying, so researchers won’t be able to actually observe the formation of this likely magnetar star.
With current astronomy tools, astronomers can observe hundreds or even thousands of supernovae each night, Shenner said. But these explosions are so far away, millions or even billions of light years away, that it’s very difficult to determine exactly what the supernova leaves behind. is.
The ideal would be to observe the formation of magnetars within our galaxy, Shenner said. However, a supernova occurs near his hometown on average he does about once every 100 years. And even then, there is still only a 10% chance of producing a neutron star that is also a magnetar.
“I mean, if you live 1,000 years, you’ll probably see it,” joked Shenner.
Still, the researchers say they’re pretty confident they’ve cracked the code for this type of magnetar formation.
And while this is a “very flashy and spectacular scenario,” Shenner said, it’s probably not uncommon in our vast universe.
Bloomer added that there is still a lot of exciting research to do on the magnetar, and each advance will help us understand a more complete picture of the universe.
“Studying magnetars will provide insight into how matter behaves under extreme magnetic fields, allowing us to better understand the fundamental properties of neutron stars, their evolution, and even potential sources of gravitational waves. will be,” she said.
In her view, Magnetar is “a cosmic puzzle waiting to be solved,” she added.