Astronomers have recently observed a neutron star spinning at an extraordinary rate of 716 rotations per second, making it one of the fastest-spinning stars on record. This neutron star resides within the binary system 4U 1820-30, located in the globular cluster NGC 6624, approximately 26,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius. Detected through NASA’s Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) aboard the International Space Station (ISS), this rapidly spinning star also produces intense thermonuclear explosions on its surface, akin to atomic detonations.
Researchers at DTU Space, examining data collected between 2017 and 2021, detected 15 thermonuclear bursts on the neutron star’s surface, with one burst carrying a distinctive oscillation at 716 Hz. This unique signature confirmed the star’s exceptional spin rate, placing it on par with another high-speed neutron star, PSR J1748–2446. “These bursts make the neutron star shine up to 100,000 times brighter than the sun, releasing massive energy,” said Jerome Chenevez from DTU Space.
Neutron stars, the dense remnants left after massive stars burn through their nuclear fuel, exhibit some of the universe’s most extreme properties. When such a star undergoes a supernova, its core collapses into an object about 20 kilometres in diameter, retaining a mass that can be twice that of our sun. This collapse generates an incredibly fast spin due to the conservation of angular momentum. In binary systems like 4U 1820-30, a neutron star’s spin rate can accelerate further as it draws in matter from a nearby companion star.
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In this system, the neutron star has a white dwarf companion that orbits it every 11 minutes – the shortest known orbital period for a binary star system. This rapid orbit causes a frequent transfer of matter from the white dwarf to the neutron star, triggering regular thermonuclear reactions on the star’s surface.
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