Pulsar

In 2009, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory released a captivating image: a pulsar and its surrounding nebula that is shaped like a hand. Since then, astronomers have used Chandra and other telescopes to continue to observe this object. Now, new radio data from the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) has been combined with Chandra's X-ray data to provide a fresh view of this exploded star and its environment, to help understand its peculiar properties and shape.

Researchers led by Prof. Zhou Xia from the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with collaborators, made significant progress in understanding ultra-long-period radio transients (ULPTs), a mysterious class of astrophysical objects. The researchers proposed that these enigmatic sources could be strange dwarf pulsars, a rotating compact object.

Chinese astronomers have used NASA's Fermi gamma-ray space telescope to conduct a long-term study of a bright gamma-ray pulsar known as PSR J0007+7303. In their results, they identified more glitching events in this pulsar. The new findings were presented July 24 on the arXiv preprint server.

Using China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), researchers have uncovered new magnetic field structures in a rare class of binary star systems known as spider pulsars, offering valuable insights into their evolution and the mechanisms behind mass loss in their companion stars.

Astronomers studying a rare neutron star system have uncovered a surprising source of powerful X-rays. Using NASA s IXPE telescope and data from other observatories, an international team found that the radiation doesn't come from the star s surrounding disk of gas, as previously believed, but from a wild and turbulent pulsar wind. This fast-moving stream of particles and magnetic energy slams into the disk, producing the X-rays scientists detected.

An international team of astronomers has uncovered new evidence to explain how pulsing remnants of exploded stars interact with surrounding matter deep in the cosmos, using observations from NASA's IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) and other telescopes.

Using NuSTAR and XMM-Newton satellites, astronomers from New York University (NYU) Abu Dhabi have observed a pulsar known as PSR J1930+1852 and its pulsar wind nebula (PWN). Results of the observational campaign, published in The Astrophysical Journal, yield more insights into the PWN and the pulsar that powers it.

Imagine a star so dense that a teaspoon of its material would weigh as much as Mount Everest, spinning hundreds of times per second while beaming radio waves across the universe. These are pulsars, the collapsed cores of massive stars. Some pulsars are breaking the rules of physics as we understand them, and the answer might lie in something as simple as tiny mountains on their surfaces.

Pulsars are spinning neutron stars, with several times the mass of the Sun compressed into a sphere just 10 km across. They have a theoretical "death line,” a point where pulsars should stop emitting radio waves as they slow down. But researchers have detected two pulsars still beaming radio signals despite being below this death line. One explanation is that there are tiny irregularities on their surfaces, mountains just 1 cm tall. These peaks amplify local electric fields, making it easier for the pulsars to accelerate particles and produce radio emissions that should be impossible.

A study published in Astronomy & Astrophysics by a researcher from the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory (XAO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has provided new insights into the phenomenon of "pulse nulling"—a sudden cessation of the entire radio pulsed emission observed in over 200 pulsar manifests.

The future of yellow dwarf stars, like our sun, is determined almost entirely by their mass. The most massive stars, about eight to 12 times heftier than the sun, can explode as supernovae, leading to the most extreme objects in the universe—neutron stars and black holes.

A large team of astronomers and astrophysicists affiliated with several institutions in China has discovered a binary star system, where one of the stars is a millisecond pulsar and the other is made mostly of helium. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes how they discovered that a pulsar under study since 2020 had a companion star—one that was gravitationally bound to it.

Pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars that emit regular radio wave pulses and beams of magnetic radiation, which can sometimes be detected from Earth. These pulsating stars are dense remnants of massive stars whose life terminated in a supernova explosion.

Using a set of ground-based radio telescopes, an international team of astronomers has observed a slowly-spinning pulsar known as PSR J0901−4046. Results of the observational campaign, published on the arXiv preprint server, deliver important insights into the evolution of this pulsar.

NASA's Chandra Observatory recently captured an X-ray image that helped identify a dramatic break in one of the galaxy's longest filaments.

Astronomers have employed the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) and the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) to observe the X-ray pulsar RX J0032.9-7348 in a broadband X-ray energy range. Results of the observational campaign, published April 30 on the arXiv preprint server, yield important insights into the properties of this pulsar.

The center of the Milky Way is a busy place, tightly packed with stars and dominated by the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*. It also features powerful magnetic fields that regulate star production, influence gas dynamics and gas cloud formation, and even affect the accretion processes around Sagittarius A*. Gigantic filaments of gas that look like bones form along the magnetic field lines, and one of them appears to be fractured.

Author(s): Marric StephensThe results of a survey of middle-aged pulsars suggest that a feature previously seen around a handful of pulsars might be ubiquitous. [Physics 18, s59] Published Wed Apr 30, 2025

Author(s): A. Albert et al.The results of a survey of middle-aged pulsars suggest that a feature previously seen around a handful of pulsars might be ubiquitous. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 171005] Published Wed Apr 30, 2025

Using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), Chinese astronomers have discovered a new millisecond pulsar. The newfound pulsar, designated PSR J2129-1210O, was missed by previous searches as its spin period is close to the harmonics of the known pulsar PSR J2129+1210A.

An international team of astronomers reports the detection of four new gamma-ray millisecond pulsars using the Murriyang radio telescope at the Parkes Observatory in Australia. The discovery was detailed in a research paper published March 16 on the arXiv preprint server.

Using the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), astronomers have performed high-resolution observations of a nearby pulsar wind nebula in the supernova remnant G11.2−0.3. Results of the observational campaign, published March 3 on the arXiv preprint server, deliver important insights into the structure and properties of this nebula.

An international team of astronomers reports the detection of the first pulsar by the Globular Clusters GMRT Pulsar Search (GCGPS) survey. The pulsar, designated PSR J1617−2258A, was found in the globular cluster NGC 6093. The discovery was detailed in a research paper published Feb. 13 on the arXiv pre-print server.

Astronomers from West Virginia University and elsewhere report the detection of 18 new pulsars using the Arecibo Observatory (AO) as part of the AO 327-MHz Drift Survey. The findings were detailed in a research paper published Feb. 6 on the arXiv pre-print server.

Using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), astronomers have investigated the emission properties of three long-period pulsars. Results of the observational campaign are presented in a research paper published Feb. 6 on the arXiv preprint server.

Using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) and by analyzing archival Arecibo Observatory data, astronomers have investigated a distant pulsar designated PSR B1310+18A. Results of the new study, published on the arXiv preprint server, deliver important insights into the properties of this object.

Author(s): A. U. Abeysekara et al. (HAWC Collaboration)Extended gamma-ray emissions in the TeV range are typically associated with middle-aged isolated pulsars. The High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) collaboration finds negative evidence for the hypothesis that millisecond pulsars (MSPs) also source TeV halos. The authors conclude that while MSPs contribute to gamma-ray emissions in the GeV range, isolated pulsars are the likely primary source of TeV halos and comment on the implications for the Galactic Center gamma-ray excess and the Galactic diffuse emission. [Phys. Rev. D 111, 043014] Published Thu Feb 06, 2025

Author(s): Matteo Tagliazucchi, Matteo Braglia, Fabio Finelli, and Mauro PieroniOne of the favored explanations for the recently observed stochastic gravitational wave background by NANOGrav’s Pulsar Timing Array (PTA) measurements are primordial fluctuations sourcing gravitational waves. These fluctuations also cause small-scale spectral distortions in the CMB. The authors show how these can be measured in future experiments like PIXIE and constrain the scalar-induced interpretation of the PTA data. It will also distinguish it from alternative explanations of the NANOGrav signal like black holes, etc., that do not predict any significant spectral distortion. [Phys. Rev. D 111, L021305] Published Thu Jan 23, 2025

In February 2016, scientists working for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) made history by announcing the first-ever detection of gravitational waves (GW). These waves, predicted by Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity, are created when massive objects collide (neutron stars or black holes), causing ripples in spacetime that can be detected millions or billions of … Continue reading "LIGO Fails to Find Continuous Gravitational Waves From Pulsars" The post LIGO Fails to Find Continuous Gravitational Waves From Pulsars appeared first on Universe Today.

An international team of astronomers has reported the discovery of a new pulsar, which received the designation PSR J1631–4722. The newfound pulsar, which is young and energetic, turns out to be associated with a supernova remnant known as SNR G336.7+0.5. The finding was detailed in a research paper published Dec. 16 on the arXiv pre-print server.

Using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) in China, astronomers have discovered a new pulsar with a spin period of about two seconds. The newly detected pulsar, designated PSR J1922+37, was found in the direction of open cluster NGC 6791. The finding was reported in a paper published Dec. 11 on the arXiv preprint server.

Neutron stars are so named because in the simplest of models they are made of neutrons. They form when the core of a large star collapses, and the weight of gravity causes atoms to collapse. Electrons are squeezed together with protons so that the core becomes a dense sea of neutrons.

When a massive star dies as a supernova, it can leave behind a pulsar, a rapidly spinning neutron star. The fastest pulsars can spin upwards of 700 times a second, blasting out regular pulses of energy. In a new paper, researchers propose that the fastest-spinning pulsars could contain quark matter in their cores. This would be even denser matter than neutrons and help explain how surprisingly massive neutron stars can spin so rapidly, maybe reaching 1,000 Hz. The post Do the Fastest Spinning Pulsars Contain Quark Matter? appeared first on Universe Today.

Results showed that in almost all cases, measured bandwidths were higher than predictions by widely used models of the galaxy, highlighting a need for updates to current ISM density models.

A study that sheds new light on how pulsar signals—the spinning remnants of massive stars—distort as they travel through space, published in The Astrophysical Journal, was led by Dr. Sofia Sheikh, SETI Institute researcher, and performed by a multi-year cohort of undergraduate researchers in the Penn State branch of the Pulsar Search Collaboratory student club.

Thanks to the Hubble Space Telescope, we all have a vivid image of the Crab Nebula emblazoned in our mind’s eyes. It’s the remnant of a supernova explosion Chinese astronomers recorded in 1056. However, the Crab Nebula is more than just a nebula; it’s also a pulsar. The Crab Pulsar pulsates in an unusual ‘zebra’ … Continue reading "The Strange Pulsar at the Center of the Crab Nebula" The post The Strange Pulsar at the Center of the Crab Nebula appeared first on Universe Today.

Author(s): Mikhail V. MedvedevA new model explains the peculiar spectral band structure of the high-frequency interpulse of the Crab pulsar radio emission as diffraction fringes created by the pulsar’s plasma-filled magnetosphere, acting as a frequency-dependent diffraction screen. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 133, 205201] Published Fri Nov 15, 2024

Author(s): Charles DayAxions—theorized particles that could account for dark matter—could accumulate around rapidly rotating neutron stars to the point that they become detectable. [Physics 17, s114] Published Thu Oct 17, 2024

Using the Large High-Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO), an international team of astronomers have detected very-high-energy (VHE) gamma-rays around the pulsar PSR J0248+6021, which may be the pulsar's halo or a pulsar wind nebula. The finding was reported in a paper published October 6 on the pre-print server arXiv.

By analyzing the data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, Russian astronomers have detected anti-glitches in a gamma-ray pulsar designated PSR J1522-5735. The discovery, published September 28 on the pre-print server arXiv, makes PSR J1522-5735 one of the only few known anti-glitching gamma-ray pulsars.

Using the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC), astronomers from Italy and Spain have carried out high-temporal-resolution optical spectroscopic observations of a transitional millisecond pulsar designated PSR J1023+0038. Results of the observational campaign, published September 19 on the pre-print server arXiv, yield essential information regarding the nature of this pulsar.

Using the Green Bank Telescope (GBT), astronomers have observed a globular cluster known as Terzan 6. They detected a new millisecond pulsar that is likely associated with this cluster. The finding was reported in a research paper published September 17 on the pre-print server arXiv.

Using ESA's XMM-Newton satellite, European astronomers have performed X-ray observations of a millisecond pulsar binary known as PSR J1431−4715. Results of the observational campaign, published September 3 on the pre-print server arXiv, provide more insights into the nature of this system.

Using the MeerKAT radio telescope, astronomers have observed eclipses in the radio emission of a pulsar known as PSR J0024−7204O. Results of the observational campaign, published on the preprint server arXiv, could help us better understand the nature and behavior of this pulsar.

Astronomers from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfRA) in Bonn, Germany and elsewhere have inspected a recycled pulsar known as PSR J1227−6208. The new study, published July 18 on the preprint server arXiv, provides important insights into the nature of this pulsar.

The nearest millisecond pulsar, PSR J0437-4715, has a radius of 11.4 kilometers and a mass 1.4 times that

Pulsars are the remnants of the explosion of massive stars at the end of their lives. The event is known as a supernova and as they rapidly spin they sweep a high energy beam across the cosmos much like a lighthouse. The alignment of some pulsar beams mean they sweep across Earth predictably and with … Continue reading "Pulsars are the Ideal Probes for Dark Matter" The post Pulsars are the Ideal Probes for Dark Matter appeared first on Universe Today.

Tantalizing evidence of potential dark matter objects has been detected with the help of the Universe's 'timekeepers'. These pulsars -- neutron stars which rotate and emit lighthouse-like beams of radio waves that rapidly sweep through space -- were used to identify mysterious hidden masses. Pulsars earned their nickname because they send out electromagnetic radiation at very regular intervals, ranging from milliseconds to seconds, making them extremely accurate timekeepers.

Towards the center of our Milky Way galaxy, in the constellation Sagittarius, astronomers have discovered 10 monstrous neutron stars. These particular stars, called pulsars, reside together in globular cluster Terzan 5, a crowded home for hundreds of thousands of different types of stars.

Tantalising evidence of potential dark matter objects has been detected with the help of the Universe's 'timekeepers'.

Tantalizing evidence of potential dark matter objects has been detected with the help of the universe's "timekeepers." These pulsars—neutron stars which rotate and emit lighthouse-like beams of radio waves that rapidly sweep through space—were used to identify mysterious hidden masses.

When massive stars detonate as supernovae, they leave often behind a pulsar. These fast rotating stellar corpses have fascinated scientists since their discovery in 1967. One nearby pulsar turns 174 times a second and now, its size has been precisely measured. An instrument on board the International Space Station was used to measure x-ray pulses  … Continue reading "A Close Pulsar Measures 11.4 km Across" The post A Close Pulsar Measures 11.4 km Across appeared first on Universe Today.

The nearest millisecond pulsar PSR J0437-4715 has a radius of 11.4 kilometers and a mass 1.4 times that of the sun. These are the results of precision measurements made by a team of researchers led by the University of Amsterdam (the Netherlands). The measurements reveal more about the composition and magnetic field of this neutron star. The researchers are publishing their findings in a series of scientific papers.

Astronomers have discovered the first millisecond pulsar in the stellar cluster Glimpse-CO1.

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Remote Sensing Division intern Amaris McCarver, along with a team of astronomers, has discovered the first millisecond pulsar in the stellar cluster Glimpse-CO1 and recently published findings in The Astrophysical Journal.

Observing gravitational waves from neutron stars as they glitch could help us understand these exotic stellar remnants.

Using the Five-Hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), astronomers from the Guizhou University in China and elsewhere have discovered eight new millisecond pulsars in the globular cluster NGC 6517. The finding was reported in a research paper published May 28 on the pre-print server arXiv.

Astronomers from the Stanford University in California have performed joint X-ray and optical observations of a massive "spider" pulsar designated PSR J2215+5135. Results of the observational campaign, presented in a paper published May 22 on the pre-print server arXiv, provide more hints into the nature of this pulsar.

Pulsar timing enables the most stringent tests of fundamental physics. By monitoring the pulse times of arrival (ToAs) of an ensemble of stable millisecond pulsars (MSPs), known as a pulsar timing array (PTA), it is possible to detect nanohertz gravitational waves (GWs). The success of GW detection with PTAs requires the highest possible timing precision.

Astronomers report the discovery of a new pulsar using the Spektr-RG space observatory. The newfound object, designated SRGA J144459.2−604207 (or SRGA J1444 for short), turns out to be a bursting accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar. The finding was detailed in a paper published April 30 on the pre-print server arXiv.

Astronomers from the Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF) report the discovery of a new millisecond pulsar in the "Snake"—a radio filament in the galactic center. It is the first millisecond pulsar detected in the center of our galaxy. The finding was detailed in a paper published April 13 on the pre-print server arXiv.

Using the MeerKAT radio telescope, an international team of astronomers has detected 10 new millisecond pulsars in a Galactic globular cluster known as Terzan 5. The finding, which makes Terzan 5 the most pulsar-rich globular cluster, was reported in a research paper published March 26 on the pre-print server arXiv.

Using the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa, an international team of astronomers has detected three new millisecond pulsars in the globular cluster Messier 62 (also known as NGC 6266). The finding was detailed in a research paper published March 18 on the pre-print server arXiv.

Dark matter comprises more than 80% of all matter in the cosmos but is invisible to conventional observation, because it seemingly does not interact with light or electromagnetic fields. Now Dr. Sukanya Chakrabarti, the Pei-Ling Chan Endowed Chair in the College of Science at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), along with lead author Dr. Tom Donlon, a UAH postdoctoral associate, have written a paper to help illuminate just how much dark matter there is in our galaxy and where it resides by studying the gravitational acceleration of binary pulsars.

Using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), astronomers from the Nanjing University in China and elsewhere, have detected a radio pulsar in a supernova remnant known as CTB 87. The finding is reported in a paper published February 1 on the arXiv pre-print server.

By analyzing the data from the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER), astronomers from the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad, India and elsewhere, have performed a detailed X-ray timing and spectral study of an ultraluminous X-ray pulsar designated Swift J0243.6+6124. Results of the study, presented January 26 on the pre-print server arXiv, deliver important insights into the behavior of this pulsar.

A team of Russian astronomers from the Pushchino Radio Astronomy Observatory (PRAO) and elsewhere, reports the detection of 39 new pulsars as part of the Pushchino Multibeams Pulsar Search (PUMPS) project. The finding was detailed in a research paper published January 9 in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

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Using NASA's Chandra spacecraft and ESA's XMM-Newton satellite, Chinese astronomers have inspected the pulsations of an ultra-luminous X-ray pulsar known as M82 X-2. Results of the study indicate that the pulsar showcases a long-term spin-down trend. The study was detailed in a paper published December 28 on the pre-print server arXiv.

Using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), astronomers have discovered a millisecond pulsar in the globular cluster GLIMPSE-C01 as part of the VLA Low-band Ionosphere and Transient Experiment (VLITE). This is the first pulsar ever detected in this cluster. The finding was reported in a paper published December 18 on the pre-print server arXiv.

Astronomers from the Western Sydney University in Australia and elsewhere report the detection of a new pulsar wind nebula and a pulsar that powers it. The discovery, presented in a paper published Dec. 12 on the pre-print server arXiv, was made using the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), as well as MeerKAT and Parkes radio telescopes.

Using China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), astronomers have discovered three new pulsars in an old Galactic globular cluster known as Messier 15. Two of them turned out to be long-period pulsars, while the remaining one spins so rapidly that it was classified as a millisecond pulsar. The finding was reported in a paper published Dec. 11 on the pre-print server arXiv.

We have been treated to some amazing aurora displays over recent months. The enigmatic lights are caused by charged particles from the Sun rushing across space and on arrival, causing the gas in the atmosphere to glow. Now researchers believe that even on exoplanets around pulsars we may just find aurora, and they may even … Continue reading "Planets Orbiting Pulsars Should Have Strange and Beautiful Auroras. And We Could Detect Them" The post Planets Orbiting Pulsars Should Have Strange and Beautiful Auroras. And We Could Detect Them appeared first on Universe Today.

Using the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), astronomers have discovered a new pulsar, which has received the designation PSR J1032−5804. The newfound pulsar turned out to be relatively young and highly scattered. The finding was reported in a paper published Nov. 25 on the pre-print server arXiv.

This week in our wrap up, we lull you into a false sense of security with adorable lion cubs then ambush you with terrifying pulsars. We do this not out of a sense of malice but to prepare your mind for the possibility of a giant cosmic void. Also, Japan has launched a new fusion research facility.

A new catalog produced by a French-led international team of astronomers shows that NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has discovered

Pulsars are extreme objects. They’re what’s left over when a massive star collapses on itself and explodes as a supernova. This creates a neutron star. Neutron stars spin, and some of them emit radiation. When they emit radiation from their poles that we can see, we call them pulsars. In the last decade or so, … Continue reading "Spider Pulsars are Tearing Apart Stars in the Omega Cluster" The post Spider Pulsars are Tearing Apart Stars in the Omega Cluster appeared first on Universe Today.

In June 2008, the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope began surveying the cosmos to study some of the most energetic phenomena in the Universe. Shortly after that, NASA renamed the observatory in the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope in honor of Professor Enrico Fermi (1901-1954), a pioneer in high-energy physics. During its mission, Fermi has addressed questions regarding … Continue reading "Fermi has Found More than 300 Gamma-Ray Pulsars" The post Fermi has Found More than 300 Gamma-Ray Pulsars appeared first on Universe Today.

A group of dead stars known as "spider pulsars" are obliterating companion stars within their reach. Data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory of the globular cluster Omega Centauri is helping astronomers understand how these spider pulsars prey on their stellar companions.

Scientists have announced the discovery of nearly 300 gamma ray pulsars.

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), in conjunction with the international Fermi Large Area Telescope Collaboration, announce the discovery of nearly 300 gamma ray pulsars in the publication of their Third Catalog of Gamma Ray Pulsars. This milestone comes 15 years after the launch of Fermi in 2008 when there were fewer than ten known gamma-ray pulsars.

Author(s): Gabriele Franciolini, Antonio Junior Iovino, Ville Vaskonen, and Hardi VeermäeThe balance between the abundance of primordial black holes and non-Gaussianities is reanalyzed in light of the recent NANOGrav data. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 201401] Published Mon Nov 13, 2023

Using the Five-hundred Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), astronomers from China and Australia have discovered five new pulsars, two of which turned out to have ultra-short spin periods. The finding was reported in a research paper published November 1 on the preprint server arXiv.

Author(s): Katherine WrightIf ultralight dark matter particles exist, they can contribute no more than 70% of the dark matter between Earth and a set of monitored pulsars. [Physics 16, s159] Published Wed Oct 25, 2023

Author(s): Clemente Smarra et al. (European Pulsar Timing Array)If ultralight dark matter particles exist, they can contribute no more than 70% of the dark matter between Earth and a set of monitored pulsars. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 171001] Published Wed Oct 25, 2023

The central question in the ongoing hunt for dark matter is: what is it made of? One possible

Spider pulsars are a subclass of millisecond pulsar binary systems with low mass companions in short-period orbits. In spider pulsars, the pulsar wind and electromagnetic emission ablate and may destroy the companion.

Ah, dark matter particles, what could you be? The answer still eludes us, and astronomers keep trying new ideas to find them. A new paper in Physical Review Letters suggests that if dark matter is made of axions, we might see their remnant glow near pulsars.

Using the MeerKAT radio telescope, an international team of astronomers has observed a Galactic globular cluster known as NGC 6522. As a result, they have discovered two new isolated pulsars in this cluster. The finding is reported in a paper published October 5 on the pre-print server arXiv.

The search for dark matter continues, with astronomers developing new hypotheses to search for this invisible gravitational influence on the Universe. One proposed dark matter particle candidate is the axion, which physicists have searched for since the 1970s. One characteristic of axions is that they should convert into light in a strong electromagnetic field. According to a new paper, they should create a faint glow around pulsars, generating intense magnetic fields. The post Are Pulsars the Key to Finding Dark Matter? appeared first on Universe Today.

Pulsars are so dependable you could set your watch to them, sometimes turning hundreds of times a second with incredible accuracy. One well-studied pulsar suddenly unleashed a torrent of radiation 200 times more energetic than anything astronomers had seen from this object before. The radiation levels were so high that it challenged established theories about how particles are accelerated by the powerful magnetic fields surrounding the pulsar. What's going on? The post A Pulsar Suddenly Threw Out Radiation 200 Times More Energetic appeared first on Universe Today.

The central question in the ongoing hunt for dark matter is: what is it made of? One possible answer is that dark matter consists of particles known as axions. A team of astrophysicists has now shown that if dark matter consists of axions, it may reveal itself in the form of a subtle additional glow coming from pulsating stars.

The central question in the ongoing hunt for dark matter is: what is it made of? One possible answer is that dark matter consists of particles known as axions. A team of astrophysicists, led by researchers from the universities of Amsterdam and Princeton, has now shown that if dark matter consists of axions, it may reveal itself in the form of a subtle additional glow coming from pulsating stars. Their work is published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

The central question in the ongoing hunt for dark matter is: what is it made of? One possible answer is that dark matter consists of particles known as axions. A team of astrophysicists has now shown that if dark matter consists of axions, it may reveal itself in the form of a subtle additional glow coming from pulsating stars.