In this illustration of an ultra-luminous X-ray source, two rivers of hot gas are pulled onto the surface of a neutron star. Strong magnetic fields, displayed in green, might change the interaction of matter and light near neutron stars surface, increasing how bright they can become. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASAs Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) has collected information revealing that Ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs) can go beyond the Eddington limit, typically seen as the maximum possible brightness for a things. The phenomenon might be due to powerful magnetic fields reshaping taken in atoms, permitting neutron stars like M87 X-2 to accumulate more mass and give off more light than formerly believed possible.
At the extreme end of astrophysics, there are all sorts of phenomena that seem to be counter-intuitive. How can a things not potentially get any better? For a long period of time, this limit, understood as the Eddington limitation, was thought to be an upper bound on how bright a things might be, and it was straight associated with the mass of that item. But observations showed that some items were even brighter than this theoretical limitation, and now information gathered by NASAs Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) validates that these items are, in reality, breaking the Eddington limit. Why?
Illustration of the NuSTAR spacecraft, which has a 30-foot (10 meter) mast that separates the optics modules (right) from the detectors in the focal aircraft (left). This separation is needed for the approach used to detect X-rays. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
The simple response is magnetic fields. Or a minimum of that is the most likely response. Regrettably, the only way to check this answer is by observing astronomical items, as the electromagnetic fields around these Ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are billions of times stronger than anything we could produce in the world.
When ULXs get towards the more vibrant end of the spectrum, they produce so lots of photons that the pressure from those photons ought to press the gas and dust that is the source of those photons away, stopping their supply and therefore dimming the item.
It used information from NuSTAR on an item originally found to be a neutron star in 2014.
For a long time, this limitation, understood as the Eddington limitation, was believed to be an upper bound on how brilliant a things could be, and it was straight associated with the mass of that item. Observations revealed that some things were even brighter than this theoretical limitation, and now information collected by NASAs Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) validates that these objects are, in reality, breaking the Eddington limit. The only method to test this response is by observing huge things, as the magnetic fields around these Ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are billions of times stronger than anything we could produce on Earth.
Thankfully, deep space is a vast place, so there are a lot of ULXs to look at to figure out whether electromagnetic fields are the cause, however first, its important to understand what causes the limit in the very first place.
Video discussing some of the research studys findings.
Anyone familiar with the idea of solar sailing understands that photons can apply pressure when they face an item. It might not be much pressure, however it is some, a minimum of. When ULXs get towards the more vibrant end of the spectrum, they release many photons that the pressure from those photons must press the gas and dust that is the source of those photons away, stopping their supply and consequently dimming the things.
In these circumstances, a “wind” would form a cone structure around the source things and push photons in a particular direction. If that instructions happened to be pointed at Earth, the item would appear brighter than the Eddington limitation.
It utilized data from NuSTAR on a things initially discovered to be a neutron star in 2014. The things, M82 X-2, therefore disproved a previous theory that all ULXs had to be black holes.
Kurzgesagt video explaining neutron stars, which form the basis of the ULX in the research study.
M87 X-2 occurs to be creating a great deal of that energy, and the scientists discovered that was due to the fact that it was stealing 9 billion trillion lots of product every year from a neighboring star. That is the equivalent of swallowing 1.5 Earths every year. Taking that material transfer as a beginning point, the researchers computed the expected brightness of M87 X-2, discovering a value constant with observations. And that worth is also higher than the Eddington limitation.
This points back to why precisely it is greater. In the case of M87 X-2, the data endorse a theory where the atoms themselves that are being soaked up into the neutron star are forced by extreme electromagnetic fields into shapes practically like strings rather of their normal spherical configuration. That makes them more difficult for photons to press away, therefore enabling more mass to agglomerate onto the star and for it to keep producing photons on a massive scale.
Further observation of M87 X-2 and other ULXs is required to check the theory more. There will unquestionably be plenty more of that type of information coming long as NuSTAR and other X-Ray observatories continue their work.
Adapted from a post initially published on Universe Today.
For more on this topic, see NASA Unveils the Secret Behind Ultra-Luminous X-Ray Sources.
