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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)!

  3. Re:More than meets the eye? by Gat0r30y · · Score: 4, Informative
    The article discusses this option, and actually finds it the most satisfying explanation. -

    A third scenario says the pulsar may be part of a triple, not a double, star system. In this case, the pulsar's 95-day orbit is around a neutron star or white dwarf, not the Sun-like star seen in the infrared image. The Sun-like star would then be in a more-distant orbit around the pulsar and its close companion Most certainly a quite intriguing possibility.
    --
    Prediction: The real iPhone killer is going to be sex robots from Japan. Think about it.
  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. Re:A simple answer by CheshireCatCO · · Score: 3, Informative

    What the heck are you talking about? If you have a positive relative energy before the encounter (which you must if you start not in orbit), you must dissipate energy in order to get captured into orbit (which requires a negative relative energy). The masses of the bodies involved do not change that simple physics.

  6. 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.