Watch dead neutron stars smash together in new NASA supercomputer simulation
Summary
Researchers analyzed the final orbits preceding a merger, focusing on the rapid changes in intertwined magnetic fields and modeling potential high-energy signals that could be observed. This study enhances understanding of cosmic events and their observable phenomena.
Key Insights
What are neutron stars and why are they called 'dead'?
Neutron stars are extremely dense remnants of massive stars that have exploded as supernovae, consisting mostly of neutrons with strong magnetic fields up to 10 trillion times stronger than a refrigerator magnet. They are termed 'dead' because they represent the collapsed core after their parent star's death in a supernova.
What happens to the magnetic fields during a neutron star merger?
Just before merger, the magnetospheres around the neutron stars interact strongly, causing their intertwined magnetic fields to undergo rapid changes and amplification to extreme values, behaving like a self-rewiring magnetic circuit and producing potentially observable high-energy gamma-ray signals.