Wednesday 19 March 2025
Scientists have made a significant breakthrough in understanding the mysteries of pulsars, those spinning neutron stars that emit intense beams of radiation as they rotate. A team of researchers has used data from two powerful telescopes to study the behavior of these cosmic wonders and shed light on their role in shaping the universe.
Pulsars are incredibly dense objects, with the density of a sugar cube that weighs as much as Mount Everest. As they spin, they emit electromagnetic radiation that can be detected by telescopes on Earth. By analyzing the patterns of this radiation, scientists can learn about the pulsar’s rotation period, its magnetic field strength, and even the surrounding environment.
The research team used data from the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) telescope in Namibia and the Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF) to study 26 pulsars. They focused on the relationship between the pulsar’s birth period and its ability to accelerate particles, which is crucial for understanding how these objects contribute to the universe’s cosmic ray flux.
The team found that most of the pulsars they studied have a birth period of around 10-50 milliseconds, which means they were born with a rotation rate similar to that of a spinning top. However, some pulsars had much shorter or longer birth periods, which can affect their ability to accelerate particles.
One of the key findings was that many pulsars are capable of accelerating particles to extremely high energies, including protons and iron nuclei. This is significant because these particles can interact with the surrounding environment and produce gamma-ray emission. The researchers used computer simulations to model the behavior of these particles and found that they could potentially escape into the pulsar wind, which is a region around the pulsar where charged particles are accelerated.
The study also showed that the likelihood of hadrons escaping into the wind depends on the luminosity conversion efficiency factor, η. This value determines how efficiently energy from the pulsar’s rotation is converted into particle acceleration. The researchers found that for some pulsars, η needs to be quite low (around 0.1) before hadrons can escape into the wind.
The implications of this research are significant. It suggests that pulsars may play a more important role in shaping the universe than previously thought. By accelerating particles to extreme energies, they can influence the surrounding environment and potentially even affect the formation of new stars and planets.
The study also highlights the importance of continued observations of these cosmic objects using powerful telescopes like H.E.
Cite this article: “Pulsars Hidden Role in Shaping the Universe”, The Science Archive, 2025.
Pulsars, Neutron Stars, Radiation, Telescopes, Cosmic Rays, Particles, Acceleration, Gamma-Rays, Astrophysics, Space Science
