PSR B0943+10 explained

PSR B0943+10 is a pulsar 2,000 light years from Earth in the direction of the constellation of Leo.[1] It was discovered at Pushchino in December 1968, becoming the first pulsar discovered by Soviet astronomers.[2] [3] The original designation of this pulsar was PP 0943[4]

Characteristics

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.[6] Ongoing research at the University of Vermont discovered that the pulsar was found to flip roughly every few hours between a radio bright mode with highly organized pulsations and a quieter mode with rather chaotic temporal structure.

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 quiet 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.[8]

In 2006, a research group from Peking University published a paper suggesting that the pulsar may actually be a low-mass quark star with mass around .[9]

Planetary system

In May 2014, two gas giants were found orbiting PSR B0943+10.[10] [11] [12]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Pune telescope spots Jekyll & Hyde puzzle in sky. https://archive.today/20130216215613/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130125/jsp/nation/story_16483828.jsp. dead. February 16, 2013. G.S. Mudur. The Telegraph, India. 25 January 2013. 31 January 2013.
  2. Book: Shklovsky, Iosif . Evrika-70 . . 1970 . N. Lazarev . Moscow . 16 . ru . Rozhdyonnye katastrofoi . Iosif Shklovsky . F. Naumov.
  3. Book: A Brief History of Radio Astronomy in the USSR. A Collection of Scientific Essays . Springer . 2012 . 978-94-007-2833-2 . Braude . S. Y. . Astrophysics and Space Science Library. 382 . 382 . 45 . 10.1007/978-94-007-2834-9 . etal.
  4. http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-id?protocol=html&Ident=PSR%20B0943%2B10 PSR B0943+10 -- Pulsar
  5. Web site: Baffling pulsar leaves astronomers in the dark. ESA. Astronomy.com. 25 January 2013. 31 January 2013.
  6. Web site: Weird Spinning Star Defies Explanation. Elizabeth Howell. Space.com. 24 January 2013. 31 January 2013.
  7. 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 . 10.1126/science.1230960 . 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. . Synchronous X-ray and Radio Mode Switches: A Rapid Global Transformation of the Pulsar Magnetosphere . Science . 339 . 6118 . 436–439 . 2013 . 23349288. 1302.0203 . 2013Sci...339..436H . 2460047 .
  8. Web site: Chameleon Pulsar Dramatically Changes the Way It Shines. Staff. Sciencedaily.com. 24 January 2013. 31 January 2013.
  9. Yue, Y. L. . Cui, X. H. . Xu, R. X. . Is PSR B0943+10 a low-mass quark star?. Astrophysical Journal . 649. 2 . L95 . 2006 . astro-ph/0603468v2. 2006ApJ...649L..95Y . 10.1086/508421 . 18183996 .
  10. 10.1134/S1063772914110067 . Detection of regular variations in the intensity and pulse time of arrival of the anomalous pulsar PSR B0943+10 . 2014 . Suleymanova . S. A. . Rodin . A. E. . Astronomy Reports . 58 . 11 . 796–807 . 2014ARep...58..796S . 255196382 .
  11. https://exoplanet.eu/catalog/psr_b0943_10_c--6642/ "The Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia Planet PSR B0943+10 c"
  12. https://exoplanet.eu/catalog/psr_b0943_10_b--6641/ "The Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia Planet PSR B0943+10 b"

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