IIT Guwahati & ISRO Uncover Low Polarization Discovery in Galactic Ultraluminous X-ray Pulsar
Researchers from IIT Guwahati and ISRO have discovered in their study of the first known Galactic Ultraluminous X-ray emitting pulsar, Swift J0243.6+6124. Know details here
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati and the Indian Space Research Organisation have made a groundbreaking discovery while studying Swift J0243.6+6124, the first known Galactic Ultraluminous X-ray emitting pulsar. Their findings reveal that the polarization of X-rays emitted by this pulsar is significantly lower than previously expected, challenging existing theories about radiation emissions from such astronomical bodies.
Neutron stars are created when a massive star depletes its fuel and collapses under its own gravity, compressing its core and converting protons and electrons into neutrons. This unexpected finding challenges existing theories and sparks new questions for further exploration. It also paves the way for studying similar X-ray sources within our galaxy and beyond.
Galactic Ultraluminous X-ray Pulsar
When the core's mass falls between one and three times that of the sun, the collapse is halted, resulting in the formation of a neutron star. These extraordinarily dense objects, among the most compact in the universe, pack a mass comparable to the sun's into a volume no larger than a city. Many neutron stars are detected as pulsars, which emit regular pulses of radiation due to their rapid rotation. A specific subtype, known as X-ray pulsars, occurs in binary systems where a companion star orbits a highly magnetized neutron star, producing pulses of X-rays.
Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are bright X-ray emitters from nearby galaxies that were once thought to be intermediate-mass black holes. However, some are now believed to be pulsars because they emit regular pulses. Swift J0243.6+6124, detected by NASA's Swift spacecraft during a strong X-ray outburst in 2017–2018, was identified as the first Galactic ULX pulsar due to its exceptional X-ray brightness.
Researchers worldwide have been investigating the nature of polarized X-ray emissions from Swift J0243.6+6124. The ISRO and IITG scientists focused on this source during its active period in 2023, using NASA's Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) to detect the polarized X-rays emission for the first time. They also combined data from the Neutron Star Interior Composition ExploreR (NICER) and the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) missions. This approach enabled them to gain a deeper understanding of the energy-dependent characteristics of the X-ray pulses from Swift J0243.6+6124. The scientists found that the polarization of X-rays from Swift J0243.6+6124 was much lower than expected, around 3%.
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Speaking about the research, Prof. Santabrata Das, Department of Physics, IIT Guwahati, said, "The discovery of lower polarization in the X-rays from Swift J0243.6+6124 is important because it makes us rethink how these stars work. Neutron stars in binary systems have very strong magnetic fields that direct matter from a nearby star to their poles. This process affects the X-rays we see because the magnetic field influences how the X-rays behave. The polarization of X-rays plays a big role in this. The unexpected low polarization means our current understanding of these magnetic fields and X-rays needs to be updated."
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