MeerKAT: Garden-sprinkler-like jet spotted shooting out of neutron star Circinus X-1
Posted: Sat Aug 17, 2024 9:40 am
MeerKAT: Garden-sprinkler-like jet spotted shooting out of neutron star Circinus X-1
phys.org | 2024 July 16
phys.org | 2024 July 16
TY4YA Jac
A strange 'garden sprinkler-like' jet coming from a neutron star has been pictured for the first time. The S-shaped structure is created as the jet changes direction due to the wobbling of the disk of hot gas around the star—a process called precession, which has been observed with black holes but, until now, never with neutron stars. This particular object sits in the binary system Circinus X-1. It is so dense that a teaspoon of its material weighs as much as Mount Everest.
The picture ... include the first-ever image of an S-shaped jet coming from a confirmed neutron star — a breakthrough that could help unravel the extreme physics behind the astronomical phenomenon.
Lead researcher Fraser Cowie said there was another system known for its S-shaped jets, called SS433, but recent results suggest that object is likely a black hole. "This image is the first time we have seen strong evidence for a precessing jet from a confirmed neutron star," he said.
"This evidence comes from both the symmetric S shape of the radio-emitting plasma in the jets and from the fast, wide shockwave, which can only be produced by a jet changing direction.
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