First, the mysterious stars pulse every 44 minutes

Astronomers have discovered a celestial object that is different from anything previously observed in our Milky Way, challenging existing theories about stellar evolution and magnetic field physics.

The mysterious source of the designated ASKAP J1832-0911 is pulsed in radio waves and X-rays every 44.2 minutes while exhibiting extreme brightness changes that span several orders of magnitude in a few months.

Located around 15,000 light years on Earth, the object represents the first ever long-term transient transient that emits synchronous X-ray pulses. The discovery, published in nature, combines observations from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and Australia’s SKA Pathfinder Range Telescope, reveals properties that are not suitable for any known category of cosmic objects.

Stars like others

“Astronomers have looked at the stars of countless various telescopes, and we have never seen the behavior of doing so,” said Dr. Ziteng Wang, first author of the Curtin University Node at the International Center for Electrical Globe Astronomy Research. “It’s really exciting to see a new type of behavior of stars.”

The object’s radio emissions reach extraordinary intensity-the brightness reaches 20 Janskys, making it 10,000 times more luminous than a typical radio pulsar. Over time, its radio and X-ray emissions are even more confusing, with sources 1,000 times more in radio waves, and in just six months, X-rays fire at least 10 times more.

What makes ASKAP J1832-0911 different, not only its brightness, but also its time behavior. Although conventional pulsars rotate multiple times per second, the object runs on completely different time scales, changing for more than tens of minutes, hundreds of thousands longer than a typical star pulsation.

Synchronous Universe Lighthouse

Perhaps most notably, both following the same 44.2-minute cycle, with radio and X-ray emissions appearing to be completely synchronized. This coordination indicates that emissions originate from the magnetic connection areas within the system, pointing to objects with highly ordered magnetic fields.

The radio signal has a 92% polarization (almost complete) with substantial linear and circular components. The first half of each pulse mainly shows linear polarization, indicating the presence of an extremely organized magnetic field structure. This high polarization requires specific conditions: essentially an electron pitch angle or a strong magnetic field that can quickly cool the particles through spiral radiation.

Challenging existing models

Scientists have proposed several explanations, but none perfectly illustrates all observed properties. The object’s 44-minute period places it firmly in the “death valley” of stellar physics, where traditional models in the region predict that radio emissions will cease altogether.

“We looked at several different possibilities involving neutron stars and white dwarves,” said Dr. Nanda Rea from the Institute for Space Science in Barcelona, ​​Spain. “So far, nothing exactly matched, but some ideas are better than others.”

Traditional rotationally driven pulsars can be ruled out because the radio luminance of ASKAP J1832-0911 exceeds the order of magnitude of its calculated rotational energy. The extreme variability of this object also distinguishes it from steady-state emission sources such as classical pulsars (such as classical pulsars).

Magnet or magnetic white dwarf?

Two main situations are still being considered. The first involves an ancient magnet – a neutron star over 500,000 years old with an unusually strong magnetic field. In theory, such objects can generate observed X-ray bursts and maintain radio emissions through crustal magnetic field evolution.

However, this explanation faces challenges. The model shows that the magnetic field of the old magnetic field should be weaker than the weak field required to produce bright transient radio emissions. The field strength required for at least 10^13 Gauss will usually produce brighter static X-ray emissions than observed.

The alternative involves extremely magnetized white dwarves in binary systems with low-quality companions. If the radio emission is generated by the relativistic electron cyclone Moser emission, the calculations suggest that the white dwarf will need a magnetic field over 5×10^9 Gauss, as the most magnetic white dwarf known in our galaxy.

Beyond current understanding

The discovery reveals a gap in our understanding of the physical and magnetic field evolution of compact objects. The properties of ASKAP J1832-0911 do not match any known categories of galactic objects, from pulsars and magnets to white dwarf binary files and x-ray transients.

The main observations that challenge existing models include:

• The peak brightness reaches 4×10^32 ERG/s radio luminance
• X-ray luminosity from 7×10^32 to less than 6×10^31 erg/s
• Perfect 44.2 minute synchronization between radio and X-ray emissions
• Extreme variability of three orders of magnitude in radio flux
• 92% polarization represents a highly ordered magnetic field

Effects on stellar physics

Relevant radio and X-ray emissions were found in long-term transients, establishing a new class of hourly regular X-ray sources. This finding suggests that similar subjects may have been ignored in previous surveys, which focused on shorter time scales or single wavelengths.

The object’s position, deep in the Galaxy plane, was initially thought to associate it with Supernova Remnant G22.7-0.2, proved to be accidental. This independent from the obvious stellar nursery or explosion site adds another layer of mystery to its origin.

Hunting continues

“We will continue to look for clues about what is going on with this object, and we will look for similar objects,” said Dr. Tang Bao from the National Institute of Astrophysics in Italy. “It’s not frustrating to find a mystery like this – that’s what makes science exciting!”

Future observations will focus on understanding whether ASKAP J1832-0911 represents a new evolutionary stage of known objects or a completely novel category of cosmic phenomena. The findings suggest that our current taxonomy of compact objects may be incomplete and may be hidden from populations of similar sources running on intermediate time scales.

What makes this discovery particularly important is its potential to bridge the gap between pulsars with changing velocities and slowly developing stellar residues. By operating over a 44-minute cycle, ASKAP J1832-0911 occupied a temporary niche that previous surveys might have missed, suggesting that other exotic objects may be waiting for discoveries in similar parameter spaces.

As astronomers continue to monitor this mysterious source, each observation adds to the cosmic puzzle, challenging our basic understanding of how matter behaves under extreme magnetic and gravity conditions. Is ASKAP J1832-0911 representing the tip of the iceberg or a truly unique phenomenon, and its discovery marks an important milestone in our exploration of the most extreme environments of the universe.