- Jan 7, 2002
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One of the fastest-spinning stars ever seen has been found by the INTEGRAL spacecraft. But researchers say the star's speed could be limited by gravitational wave radiation - theoretical ripples in space-time. The idea could be tested by upgraded detectors within the next few years.
The European Space Agency's INTEGRAL spacecraft, launched in 2002 to study high-energy phenomena in space, detected the star on 2 December 2004. Called IGR J00291+5934, the object appears to lie about 9800 light years away and emits a periodic signal every 1.7 milliseconds. That is the telltale signature of a type of neutron star called a "millisecond pulsar" - one that spins at least 100 times per second.
About 150 millisecond pulsars are known, with some emitting X-rays and others radio waves. All appear to spin so rapidly due to interactions with a companion star.
The companion bloats up when it reaches a certain age and dumps gas onto its neutron star partner, causing the star to spin faster. The neutron star's magnetic fields can funnel the gas onto certain spots, causing them to heat up and emit X-rays. This type of neutron star is called an accreting X-ray millisecond pulsar. With a spin rate of 599 revolutions per second, this star is the fastest of the six known pulsars of this type and it glows in the X-ray wavelengths.
The pulsar was discovered by an international team led by Simon Shaw at the University of Southampton, UK. The team reports its findings in an upcoming issue of Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Elite class
The vast majority of millisecond pulsars - including the fastest overall, which rotates 641 times per second - emit at radio wavelengths and have stopped actively accreting material from their companions.
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7052
The European Space Agency's INTEGRAL spacecraft, launched in 2002 to study high-energy phenomena in space, detected the star on 2 December 2004. Called IGR J00291+5934, the object appears to lie about 9800 light years away and emits a periodic signal every 1.7 milliseconds. That is the telltale signature of a type of neutron star called a "millisecond pulsar" - one that spins at least 100 times per second.
About 150 millisecond pulsars are known, with some emitting X-rays and others radio waves. All appear to spin so rapidly due to interactions with a companion star.
The companion bloats up when it reaches a certain age and dumps gas onto its neutron star partner, causing the star to spin faster. The neutron star's magnetic fields can funnel the gas onto certain spots, causing them to heat up and emit X-rays. This type of neutron star is called an accreting X-ray millisecond pulsar. With a spin rate of 599 revolutions per second, this star is the fastest of the six known pulsars of this type and it glows in the X-ray wavelengths.
The pulsar was discovered by an international team led by Simon Shaw at the University of Southampton, UK. The team reports its findings in an upcoming issue of Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Elite class
The vast majority of millisecond pulsars - including the fastest overall, which rotates 641 times per second - emit at radio wavelengths and have stopped actively accreting material from their companions.
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7052
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