PSR B0943+10
| Observation data Epoch J2000.0 Equinox J2000.0 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Leo |
| Right ascension | 19h46m7.4s[1] |
| Declination | +09° 51' 54" [1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | ? |
| Astrometry | |
| Distance | 0.63 ± 0.10 k[1] pc |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | neutron star |
| U−B color index | ? |
| B−V color index | ? |
| Variable type | Pulsar |
| Details | |
| Mass | ~ 0.02[2] M☉ |
| Radius | ~ 2.6km[2] R☉ |
| Luminosity | 5x1028 ergs s−1[1] L☉ |
| Temperature | 3.1x105[1] K |
| Metallicity | ? |
| Rotation | 1.1 s |
| Age | 5 × 106 years |
| Other designations | |
PSR B0943+10 is a pulsar 3,000 light years from Earth[3] in the direction of the constellation of Leo.[4]
Description
The pulsar is estimated to be 5 million years old, which is relatively old for a pulsar.[5] It has a rotational period of 1.1 seconds and emits both radio waves and X-rays.[3] Ongoing research at the University of Vermont discovered that the pulsar was found to flip on a roughly a few hours timescale between a radio bright mode with highly organized pulsations and a quieter mode with rather chaotic temporal structure.[6][7]
Moreover the observations of the pulsar performed simultaneously with the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton X-ray observatory and ground-based radio telescopes revealed that it exhibits variations in its X-ray emission that mimic in reverse the changes seen in radio waves—the pulsar has a weaker non-pulsing X-ray luminosity during the radio bright mode and is actually brighter during the radio quite mode emitting distinct X-ray pulses.[7] Such changes can only be explained if the pulsar's magnetosphere (which may extend up to 52,000 km from the surface) quickly switches between two extreme states.[5] The change happens on a few seconds timescale, far faster than most pulsars. Despite being one of the first pulsars discovered the mechanism for its unusual behavior is unknown.[6]
A research group from Peking University in Beijing, China published a paper suggesting that the pulsar may actually be a low-mass quark star.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Zang, Bing; Sanwal, Divas & Pavlov, George G. (2005). "An XMM-Newton Observation of the Drifting Pulsar B0943+10". Astrophysics Journal: L109–L112.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Yue, Y. L.; Cui, X. H.; Xu, R. X. (2006). "Is PSR B0943+10 a low-mass quark star?" (PDF). Astrophysics Journal: 1. arXiv:astro-ph/0603468v2. Bibcode:2006ApJ...649L..95Y. doi:10.1086/508421.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Elizabeth Howell (January 24, 2013). "Weird Spinning Star Defies Explanation". Space.com. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
- ↑ G.S. Mudur (January 25, 2013). "Pune telescope spots Jekyll & Hyde puzzle in sky". The Telegraph, India. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 ESA (January 25, 2013). "Baffling pulsar leaves astronomers in the dark". Astronomy.com. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Staff (January 24, 2013). "Chameleon Pulsar Dramatically Changes the Way It Shines". Sciencedaily.com. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Hermsen, W.; Hessels, J. W. T.; Kuiper, L.; Van Leeuwen, J.; Mitra, D.; De Plaa, J.; Rankin, J. M.; Stappers, B. W.; Wright, G. A. E.; Basu, R.; Alexov, A.; Coenen, T.; Grießmeier, J. - M.; Hassall, T. E.; Karastergiou, A.; Keane, E.; Kondratiev, V. I.; Kramer, M.; Kuniyoshi, M.; Noutsos, A.; Serylak, M.; Pilia, M.; Sobey, C.; Weltevrede, P.; Zagkouris, K.; Asgekar, A.; Avruch, I. M.; Batejat, F.; Bell, M. E.; Bell, M. R. (2013). "Synchronous X-ray and Radio Mode Switches: A Rapid Global Transformation of the Pulsar Magnetosphere". Science 339 (6118): 436–439. doi:10.1126/science.1230960. PMID 23349288.
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