AstroSat, India’s first multi-wavelength space-based observatory, has detected bright sub-second X-ray bursts from a new and unique neutron star with an ultrahigh magnetic field (magnetar).
Scientists performed the timing and spectral analysis of this magnetar using two instruments onboard AstroSat
- The Large Area X-Ray Proportional Counter (LAXPC) and Soft X-Ray telescope (SXT).
Magnetars
- Magnetars are neutron stars having an ultrahigh magnetic field that are much stronger than the terrestrial magnetic field (over one quadrillion times stronger than the magnetic field of Earth).
- High-energy electromagnetic radiation emitted by magnetars results from the decay of their powerful magnetic fields.
- They display strong temporal variability, typically including a slow rotation, a rapid spin-down, bright but short bursts going on up to months-long outbursts.
- One such magnetar, called SGR J1830-0645, was discovered in October 2020 by NASA’s Swift spacecraft.
- It is relatively young (about 24,000 years) and an isolated neutron star.
- A neutron star is a dense and compact stellar object that forms from the remnants of a massive star’s core after a supernova explosion. These stars are among the densest objects known in the universe, packing an immense mass into a relatively small size.
- The discovery of pulsars in 1967 provided the first evidence of the existence of neutron stars. Pulsars are neutron stars that emit pulses of radiation once per rotation
AstroSat
- AstroSat is the first dedicated Indian astronomy mission aimed at studying celestial sources in X-ray, optical and UV spectral bands simultaneously.
- It was launched in September, 2015 onboard PSLV-C30 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
- Mission operations center at ISTRAC Bengaluru manages the task of operating AstroSat.
Payload
- Spotted stars forming in gas streams, offering insights into how galaxy clusters behave.
- It found over 75,000 young stars in the Andromeda Galaxy’s bulge, a first discovery.
- Black holes in a binary system were seen spinning almost as fast as possible by LAXPC and SXT payloads.