Scientists may have discovered a pulsar in the heart of the Milky Way – which could reveal new physics
If the pulsar at the center of our galaxy is confirmed, it could enable more precise measurements of the space-time surrounding the Milky Way’s central supermassive black hole.
Illustration of a pulsar wind nebula, which results from the interaction of particles emitted from a neutron star with gaseous material in the interstellar medium through which the neutron star is passing.
NASA/ESA/N. Tr’Ehnl/Pennsylvania State University
At the center of the galaxy, there may be a pulsar – a highly magnetized, spinning neutron star formed from the dead husk of a massive star that went supernova. If confirmed, the potential discovery, which was announced in a paper Published on Monday, may reveal new physics.
Pulsars are the beacons of the universe. As they rotate, they emit steady and predictable bursts of radiation. In turn, researchers can use these rhythmic pulses to reveal tiny variations in space-time and detect gravitational waves caused by large, massive objects, including supermassive black holes. The discovery of a pulsar near the Milky Way’s central supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*, could prove invaluable to astronomers as they seek to understand this cosmic monster, according to the researchers behind the potential discovery.
“Any external influence on the pulsar, such as the gravitational pull of a massive object, will introduce anomalies in this steady arrival of the pulse, which can be measured and modeled,” said Slavko Bogdanov, an associate research scientist at Columbia University and co-author of the study. statement.
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“If confirmed, it could help us better understand both our galaxy and general relativity as a whole,” Karen Perez, a postdoctoral fellow at the SETI Institute and lead author of the paper, said in the same statement.
The “interesting” candidate pulsar, which researchers have dubbed BLPSR, has a rotation period of 8.19 milliseconds, making it a particularly fast-spinning one. “Further tests and observations are necessary to conclusively confirm or reject the BLPSR as a pulsar,” the authors write in the paper.
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