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Anomalous Pulsar In Binary System Stymies Theorists

Posted by kdawson on from the dizzy-making dept.

Science Daily has word of a millisecond pulsar in the wrong kind of binary system that has astronomers scratching their heads. According to current models of pulsar evolution, such a system should have no way to develop. The pulsar J1903+0327, which rotates 465 times per second, seems to be in a highly elongated orbit around a Sun-like star. Quoting: "Astronomers think most millisecond pulsars are sped up by material falling onto them from a companion star. This requires the pulsar to be in a tight orbit around its companion that becomes more and more circular with time. The orbits of some millisecond pulsars are the most perfect circles in the Universe, so the elongated orbit of the new pulsar is a mystery."

6 of 53 comments (clear)

  1. Re:It's a signal from the Cheela by Vectronic · · Score: 3, Funny

    Write Said Fred... is a physicist?

    I'm too sexy for this comment.

  2. Aha! by loftwyr · · Score: 3, Funny

    This will be the iron clad proof of Creationism! Only (insert your favourite supreme being here) could have put such an anomaly there!

    All hail (insert your favourite supreme being here)!

    1. Re:Aha! by argent · · Score: 2, Funny

      The FSM hates touching pulsars with his noodly appendage... he gets gravel-burns like you wouldn't believe.

  3. Re:i have nothing to say by Perseid · · Score: 2, Funny

    I don't think it runs Linux.

  4. Re:i have nothing to say by UID30 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I don't think it runs Linux. I dunno ... about 2/3 of the way down in the 2.6.25.4 patch notes ... yeah ... right there:

    commit f96e856cd870007bb8f344e62eff228eba3f6989
    Author: Chris Wright
    Date: Mon May 5 13:50:24 2008 -0700

            added support for elongated orbit millisecond pulsars.
    --
    "Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever." - Napoleon Bonaparte
  5. Problems with kernel 2.6.25.4 by Cassini2 · · Score: 3, Funny

    I don't think it runs Linux.
    I dunno ... about 2/3 of the way down in the 2.6.25.4 patch notes ... yeah ... right there:

    - added support for elongated orbit millisecond pulsars.

    I've been working on simulations of the 2.6.25.4 kernel running on neutron stars. Shortly after getting the 256-node Beowulf cluster simulation booted up, the cluster encounters severe gravitational disturbances. These interfere with network communications. I asked a physicist, and he started muttering something about event horizons and black holes. I think we are going to need a better patch.