Modern Australian
The Times Real Estate

.

Captured! Radio telescope records a rare 'glitch' in a pulsar's regular pulsing beat

  • Written by Jim Palfreyman, PhD candidate in astronomy, University of Tasmania

Pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars and sometimes they abruptly increase their rotation rate. This sudden change of spin rate is called a “glitch” and I was part of a team that recorded one happening in the Vela Pulsar, with the results published today in Nature.

Approximately 5-6% of pulsars are known to glitch. The Vela pulsar is perhaps the most famous – a very southern object that spins about 11.2 times per second and was discovered by scientists in Australia in 1968.

It is 1,000 light-years away, its supernova occurred about 11,000 years ago and roughly once every three years this pulsar suddenly speeds up in rotation.

Read more: Fifty years ago Jocelyn Bell discovered pulsars and changed our view of the universe

These glitches are unpredictable, and one has never been observed with a radio telescope large enough to see individual pulses.

To understand what the glitch may be, first we need to understand what makes a pulsar.

Collapsing stars

At the end of a typical star’s life, one of three things can happen.

A small star, similar to the size of our Sun, will just quietly expire like a fire going out.

If the star is sufficiently large, a supernova will occur. After this massive explosion the remains will collapse. If the object is sufficiently large then its escape velocity will be greater than the speed of light, and a black hole will be formed.

But if we have a Goldilocks-sized star that is large enough to go supernova, but small enough not to be a black hole, we get a neutron star.

Read more: Explainer: why you can hear gravitational waves when things collide in the universe

The gravity is so strong that the electrons orbiting the atom are forced into the nucleus. They combine with protons in the nucleus to form neutrons.

These objects are estimated to have a mass of about 1.4 times the mass of our Sun, and a diameter of 20km. The density is such that a cupful of this material would weigh as much as Mt Everest.

They also rotate quite quickly (and very gradually slow down over time) as well as having a massive magnetic field, three trillion times that of the Earth. Electromagnetic radiation emits from both ends of this huge rotating magnet.

Now if one of the poles of this rotating magnet happens to sweep past Earth, we see a brief “flash” in radio waves (and other frequencies too) once every rotation. This is called a pulsar.

The hunt for a ‘glitch’

In 2014 I started a serious observing campaign with the University of Tasmania’s 26m radio telescope, at the Mount Pleasant Observatory, with a goal to catch the Vela Pulsar’s glitch live in action.

Captured! Radio telescope records a rare 'glitch' in a pulsar's regular pulsing beat The 26m antenna at the Mount Pleasant Radio Observatory. University of Tasmania, Author provided

I collected data at the rate of 640MB for each 10 second file, for 19 hours a day, for most days over nearly four years. This resulted in over 3PB of data (1 petabyte is a million gigabytes) that was collected, processed and analysed.

On December 12, 2016, at approximately 9:36pm at night, my phone goes off with a text message telling me that Vela had glitched. The automated process I had set up wasn’t completely reliable – radio frequency interference (RFI) had been known to set it off in error.

So sceptically I logged in, and ran the test again. It was genuine! The excitement was incredible and I stayed up all night analysing the data.

What surfaced was quite surprising and not what was expected. Right as the glitch occurred, the pulsar missed a beat. It didn’t pulse.

The pulse before this “null” was broad and weird. Nothing like I’d ever seen or heard of before.

The two pulses following turned out to have no linear polarisation which was also unheard of for Vela. This meant the glitch had affected the strong magnet that drives the emission that comes from the pulsar.

Following the null, a train of 21 pulses arrived early and the variance in their timings was a lot smaller than normal – also very weird.

The glitch explained, sort of

So what causes glitches? The hypothesis that is best supported is that the neutron star has a hard crust and a superfluid core. The outer crust is what slows down, while the superfluid core rotates separately and does not slow down.

This is a very simplified explanation. What really happens is quite complex and involves microscopic superfluid vortices unpinning from the crust’s lattice.

Read more: Stars for sale, but no, you can't really buy an official star name to remember someone

After about three years the difference in rotation between the core and crust gets too great and the core “grips” the crust and speeds it up. The data seems to show that it took about five seconds for this speed-up to occur. This is on the faster end of the scale that the theorists had predicted.

All this and other information could help us understand what is called the “equation of state” – how matter behaves at different temperatures and pressures – in a laboratory that we simply cannot create here on Earth.

It also gives us, for the first time, a glimpse into the inside workings of a neutron star.

Authors: Jim Palfreyman, PhD candidate in astronomy, University of Tasmania

Read more http://theconversation.com/captured-radio-telescope-records-a-rare-glitch-in-a-pulsars-regular-pulsing-beat-94815

Taking It Up a Notch: How 12.5kg Dumbbells Fit Into Progressive Overload Training

Photo by Jason Grant on Unsplash When it comes to getting stronger, more sculpted, and better conditioned, one principle reigns supreme in the worl...

Behind the Bowl: What Makes Premium Dog Food Worth the Price Tag?

Photo by Ayla Verschueren on Unsplash When it comes to feeding our four-legged companions, the pet food aisle can be a maze of options—bags promi...

Davines Sustainable Haircare: Revolutionizing Eco-Friendly Beauty Solutions

Davines is a well-known brand in the world of haircare, known for its high-quality products that deliver exceptional results. Its commitment to sust...

The Role of CDNs in Enhancing Headless CMS Performance and Reliability

A headless CMS provides businesses with the ultimate freedom for content management and output possibilities across any number of channels. However...

Finding the Right Dentist in Perth for Your Dental Implants: A Complete Guide

Missing teeth can significantly impact your quality of life, affecting everything from your ability to eat and speak to your self-confidence. Dental...

Fix These 5 Technical SEO Issues Hurting Your Perth Business Rankings

Perth businesses face unique challenges when competing for visibility in local search results.  While many business owners focus on content creati...

How a Professional Bookkeeper Can Help Your Small Business

Running a small business in Australia comes with many responsibilities, from managing day-to-day operations to ensuring compliance with tax and fina...

How Pre-Employment Drug Testing Can Improve Your Company’s Culture

When it comes to curating a thriving workplace, culture is everything. It is the glue holding teams together, the driving force behind productivity...

How To Find Comfortable And Stylish Armchairs Online

Shopping online can be tricky, particularly when it comes to buying furniture. All homeowners, including you, want an armchair that is stylish and c...

Rope Rescue Training Explained: Techniques, Tools & Skills

Rope rescue training is critical for emergency responders, industrial workers, and anyone who operates in high-risk environments. Whether you're a fir...

The Different Career Paths in a Law Firm: From Clerk to Partner

The legal profession offers a structured yet diverse career path, with opportunities ranging from entry-level positions to esteemed leadership roles...

The Importance of Exercise for People with Disabilities: Adaptive Workouts

Exercise is a fundamental part of maintaining physical and mental wellbeing, and this holds true for people of all abilities. For individuals with d...

Planning a Construction or Renovation? Don’t Overlook the Plumbing!

Building or renovating your home is an exciting journey—designing layouts, selecting finishes, and watching your space come to life. However, while ...

Bathroom Tiling: Trends, Materials and Installation Tips

The world of bathroom tiling has come a long way, with new trends, improved materials, and innovative installation techniques, making it easier than...

Best Products to Increase Hair Density: What Really Works?

Do you want thick, voluminous hair? We get you!! There’s just something about a full head of hair that makes you feel more confident. But what do...

The Cost of Back to Base Security in Sydney: Is It Worth the Investment?

Sydney is a fantastic place to live. The beaches, the cafes, the culture. There’s a reason people are willing to pay premium prices for a spot in ...

Australian Workplace Engagement Declines Amidst Shifting Employee Priorities

Global leader in employee engagement and HR technology, Reward Gateway, has today released its second annual Workplace Engagement Index. The report...

The Right Mix: 5 Tips for Choosing Products Your Customers Will Love

Photo: Marcella Marcella / Unsplash Crafting the perfect product offering is difficult. You need to strike a delicate balance between building a busi...