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A star spinning at record speed has been discovered. Photo
Scientists detect 15 flashes of thermonuclear X-rays from 4U 1820-30. Source: Getty
The NICER X-ray telescope has discovered a record-breaking neutron star. According to the analysis of data collected by NASA, this star rotates 716 times per second, making it one of the fastest-rotating objects ever observed.
This "speedster" was recorded in the X-ray binary system 4U 1820-30, located at a distance of about 26,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius. The neutron star is part of a metal-rich globular cluster called NGC 6624, SCI.News reports.
According to scientists, the double system 4U 1820-30 consists of two stars – a neutron star and a white dwarf companion. The latter orbits the neutron star once every 11 minutes, making it the system with the shortest known orbital period.
4U 1820-30 usually displays short X-ray flashes that last only 10-15 seconds. According to the researchers, this is because the ignited helium-rich fuel burns quickly on its surface.
"Due to its intense gravity, a neutron star pulls material away from its companion star. When enough material accumulates on its surface, the neutron star undergoes a violent thermonuclear flash, similar to an atomic bomb," said Dr. Gaurava Jaisawal of DTU Space.
To observe 4U 1820-30, the astronomers used NASA's NICER X-ray telescope, which is installed outside the International Space Station.
"We studied the thermonuclear explosions from this system and then discovered an amazing oscillation, which indicates that the neutron star is rotating around its central axis at an amazing rate of 716 times per second," said Dr. Jaisawal.
Between 2017 and 2021, NICER detected 15 flares of thermonuclear X-rays from 4U 1820-30. It was one of these flares that showed signs known as "fusion oscillation flares."
A neutron star is only 12 km in diameter, but its mass is 1.4 times that of the Sun.
"During outbursts, a neutron star becomes 100,000 times brighter than the Sun, releasing a huge amount of energy. Therefore, we are dealing with very extreme events, and by studying them, we get a new insight into the initial life cycles of binary star systems and the formation of elements in the Universe," said DTU space researcher Dr. Jerome Chenevez.
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