All articles tagged with #stellar mergers
Using gravitational wave detectors LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA, scientists have identified a 'stellar graveyard' filled with mergers of black holes and neutron stars, including the heaviest black holes observed to date, which enhances understanding of stellar evolution and the universe's expansion rate. The data also tests Einstein's theory of gravity and improves measurement of the Hubble Constant.
Astronomers have proposed a new model explaining hypervelocity white dwarfs as remnants of violent stellar mergers and faint supernovae, which can propel these dense stars out of the Milky Way at extreme speeds, resolving previous mysteries about their origins and characteristics.
Researchers using Hubble's UV data discovered that the high-mass white dwarf WD 0525+526 is likely the remnant of a stellar merger, evidenced by faint carbon signatures on its surface. This finding provides rare direct evidence of white dwarf mergers, which are important for understanding stellar evolution and supernovae, and highlights the importance of ultraviolet observations in detecting such phenomena.
Researchers have linked fast radio bursts (FRBs) to magnetars, highly magnetized neutron stars, which are more frequently found in massive, metal-rich galaxies. This suggests that these galaxies provide the ideal conditions for magnetar formation, often resulting from the merger of massive stars. The study, utilizing the Deep Synoptic Array-110, has localized 70 FRBs, offering insights into the environments conducive to FRB occurrences and magnetar formation.
Astronomers have linked fast radio bursts (FRBs) to massive, star-forming galaxies, suggesting they originate from magnetars—highly magnetic neutron stars formed from stellar mergers. This discovery, led by Kritti Sharma at Caltech, indicates that metal-rich environments in these galaxies may facilitate the formation of magnetars, which are potential sources of FRBs. The study, published in Nature, also explores the possibility that magnetars result from the fusion of two stars, offering insights into their formation and the enigmatic nature of FRBs.
Astronomers have solved the mystery of the enigmatic 'Dragon's Egg' star system, finding that two of the original three stars merged violently, creating the unique nebula and two mismatched stars. The larger star's unexpected magnetic field led researchers to analyze the system, revealing the stars' different ages and unusual chemical composition. This evidence supports the theory that stellar mergers produce magnetic fields around massive stars, shedding light on the cosmic rarity of such phenomena.
Astronomers have observed a massive star, N6946-BH1, that disappeared in 2009 and is now considered a failed supernova. Using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), they have discovered a bright infrared source that could be a remnant dust shell or material infalling into a black hole. Surprisingly, they found three sources instead of one, suggesting a stellar merger rather than a failed supernova. This challenges our understanding of supernovae and stellar mass black holes, and further observations will help distinguish between stellar mergers and true failed supernovae.