4U 0142+61 is a magnetar at an approximate distance of 13000 light-years from Earth, located in the constellation Cassiopeia.
Artist's conception of 4U 0142+61 | |
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Cassiopeia |
| Right ascension | 01 46 22.41s |
| Declination | + 61° 45' 03.2" |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 25.62 |
| Characteristics | |
| B−V color index | 0.63 |
| Variable type | Suspected |
| Astrometry | |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: 26.58958 mas/yr Dec.: +61.75264 mas/yr |
| Details | |
| Radius | 16.1 km[1] R☉ |
| Luminosity | 0.63 L☉ |
| Rotation | 8.68832905 s |
| Other designations | |
PSR J0146+61, 1RXS J014621.5+614509 | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
In an article published in Nature on April 6, 2006, Deepto Chakrabarty et al. of MIT revealed that a circumstellar disk was discovered around the pulsar. This may prove that pulsar planets are common around neutron stars. The debris disk is likely to be composed of mainly heavier metals. The star had undergone a supernova event approximately 100,000 years ago. The disk orbits about 1.6 million kilometers away from the pulsar and probably contains about 10 Earth-masses of material.[2] This also marks the first time that a pulsar has been discovered with a debris disk orbiting it.[3]
In May 2022, the first study of this source by the IXPE space observatory hinted at the possibility of vacuum birefringence on 4U 0142+61.[4][5] This same study using IXPE also reported that the star may have a solid surface, with no atmosphere.[6][7]
References
edit- ^ Cheng, K. S.; Zhang, L. (2001). "High‐Energy Gamma‐Ray Emission from Anomalous X‐Ray Pulsars". The Astrophysical Journal. 562 (2): 918–924. Bibcode:2001ApJ...562..918C. doi:10.1086/323857. hdl:10722/43336. S2CID 123042196.
- ^ Wang, Zhongxiang; Chakrabarty, Deepto; Kaplan, David L. (April 2006). "A debris disk around an isolated young neutron star". Nature. 440 (7085): 772–775. arXiv:astro-ph/0604076. Bibcode:2006Natur.440..772W. doi:10.1038/nature04669. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 16598251. S2CID 4372235.
- ^ Ertan, Ü; Erkut, M. H.; Ekşi, K. Y.; Alpar, M. A. (March 2007). "The Anomalous X-Ray Pulsar 4U 0142+61: A Neutron Star with a Gaseous Fallback Disk". The Astrophysical Journal. 657 (1): 441–447. arXiv:astro-ph/0612587. Bibcode:2007ApJ...657..441E. doi:10.1086/510303. S2CID 16726942.
- ^ Taverna, Roberto; Turolla, Roberto; Muleri, Fabio; Heyl, Jeremy; Zane, Silvia; Baldini, Luca; González-Caniulef, Denis; Bachetti, Matteo; Rankin, John; Caiazzo, Ilaria; Di Lalla, Niccolò; Doroshenko, Victor; Errando, Manel; Gau, Ephraim; Kırmızıbayrak, Demet (2022-05-18). "Polarized x-rays from a magnetar". Science. 378 (6620): 646–650. arXiv:2205.08898. Bibcode:2022Sci...378..646T. doi:10.1126/science.add0080. PMID 36356124. S2CID 248863030.
- ^ "X-ray polarisation probes extreme physics". CERN Courier. 2022-06-30. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
- ^ "Magnetised dead star likely has solid surface". UCL. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
- ^ "NASA's IXPE Finds Powerful Magnetic Fields and Solid Crust at Neutron Star". NASA. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
External links
edit- First signs of weird quantum property of empty space? (November 30, 2016) Phys.org
- Scientists crack mystery of planet formation (April 5, 2006) CNN
- Spitzer Sees New Planet Disk Around Dead Star (April 7, 2006) SpaceDaily
- Birth of 'Phoenix' Planets?
- 4U0142+61
- 1RXS J014621.5+614509
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