"Chinese Sky Eye" discovers new forms of pulsar radiation
"Chinese Sky Eye" discovers new forms of pulsar radiation. (Photo courtesy of the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences)
The mainland scientific research team recently used the "Chinese Sky Eye" FAST to detect a batch of extremely weak narrow pulses from a pulsar that was originally considered to be "extinguished", which is a new form of pulsar radiation detected by the "China Sky Eye", which is of great scientific significance for revealing the extreme physical environment of the pulsar's magnetosphere.
The research was completed by a research team led by Han Jinlin, a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the relevant results were published in the international academic journal Nature Astronomy on August 18.
Panorama of "China's Sky Eye" (taken during maintenance). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ou Dongqu
According to reports, pulsars generally periodically radiate radio signals when they rotate, but some old pulsars often radiate "extinguished" in certain cycles, a phenomenon known as "pulse zeroing". After the pulsar radiation is "extinguished", its magnetospheric structure and physical properties are completely undetectable, so the physical mechanism of "pulse zeroing" has been difficult to determine.
In this study, when observing a known pulsar B2111+46, the research team found that the pulsar still has faint and narrow sporadic pulses in the "pulse zero" state, which are named dwarf pulses. The team then conducted a 2-hour validation observation of B2111+46 and observed more than 100 dwarf pulses. The team also detected a small number of dwarf pulses in the "pulse zeroing" state of several other pulsars.
The dwarf pulses of pulsar B2111+46 are significantly different from normal pulses in terms of pulse width and radiation energy. (Photo courtesy of the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences)
"The dwarf pulse is clearly separated from the normal pulse in the distribution of pulse intensity and width, forming an independent radiation population." Han Jinlin said that the normal radiation pulses appear to be radiated by a large number of charged particles produced by a large number of "thunderstorms" in the pulsar's magnetosphere, while the dwarf pulses appear to be radiated by one or a few particle droplets accidentally formed in the magnetosphere by dying pulsars.
"For a long time, pulsars were considered to be completely free of radiation when they were in the 'pulse zero' state, and this discovery benefited from the ultra-high sensitivity of the 'Chinese Sky Eye'. The new patterns of pulsar radiation we have detected have opened a new window into the difficult problems associated with pulsar radiation. Han Jinlin said.
Source: Xinhua News Agency reporter: Zhang Quan, Ou Dongqu
Executive Producer: Kang Lilin
Editors: Li Ang, Li Mengting, Qing Shan Intern: Zhang Zhiying
Looking forward to more new discoveries!