News tagged with neutron stars
Mass limits of dark matter derived from 'strange' stars
(PhysOrg.com) -- Much of the matter in our universe may be made of a type of dark matter called weakly interacting massive particles, better known as WIMPs. Although some scientists predict that these hypothetical ...
Oct 12, 2010 |
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Studying the 'mountains' and 'starquakes' that develop on neutron stars
(PhysOrg.com) -- Neutron stars have the potential to play an important role in understanding some of the mysteries of the universe. One of factors that could help lead to an understanding of gravitational waves and the mechanisms ...
May 26, 2009 |
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A model burster: Researchers find the first neutron star that bursts as predicted
For the first time, researchers at MIT and elsewhere have detected all phases of thermonuclear burning in a neutron star. The star, located close to the center of the galaxy in the globular cluster Terzan ...
Mar 02, 2012 |
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Discovery of two types of neutron stars points to two different classes of supernovae
Astronomers at the universities of Southampton and Oxford have found evidence that neutron stars, which are produced when massive stars explode as supernovae, actually come in two distinct varieties. Their ...
Nov 09, 2011 |
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Challenge theoretical models, Crab pulsar beams most energetic gamma rays ever detected from a pulsar
A thousand years ago, a brilliant beacon of light blazed in the sky, shining brightly enough to be seen even in daytime for almost a month. Native American and Chinese observers recorded the eye-catching event. ...
Oct 06, 2011 |
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Neutron star blows away models for thermonuclear explosions
(PhysOrg.com) -- Amsterdam astronomers have discovered a neutron star that confounds existing models for thermonuclear explosions in such extreme objects. In the case of the accreting pulsar IGR J17480-2446, ...
Sep 14, 2011 |
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Cosmic crashes forging gold: Nuclear reactions in space do produce the heaviest elements
(PhysOrg.com) -- Collisions of neutron stars produce the heaviest elements such as gold or lead. The cosmic site where the heaviest chemical elements such as lead or gold are formed has most likely been identified: ...
Sep 09, 2011 |
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'Odd couple' binary makes dual gamma-ray flares
(PhysOrg.com) -- In December 2010, a pair of mismatched stars in the southern constellation Crux whisked past each other at a distance closer than Venus orbits the sun. The system possesses a so-far unique ...
Jun 29, 2011 |
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CERN's new Einstein Observatory to explore black holes, Big Bang
A new era in astronomy will come a step closer when scientists from across Europe present their design study today for an advanced observatory capable of making precision measurements of gravitational waves ...
May 19, 2011 |
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Fermi telescope spots 'superflares' in the Crab Nebula (w/ video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- The famous Crab Nebula supernova remnant has erupted in an enormous flare five times more powerful than any flare previously seen from the object. On April 12, NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space ...
May 12, 2011 |
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Scientists investigate the possibility of wormholes between stars
(PhysOrg.com) -- Wormholes are one of the stranger objects that arise in general relativity. Although no experimental evidence for wormholes exists, scientists predict that they would appear to serve as shortcuts ...
Feb 25, 2011 |
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Chandra finds superfluid in neutron star's core
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has discovered the first direct evidence for a superfluid, a bizarre, friction-free state of matter, at the core of a neutron star. Superfluids created in ...
Feb 23, 2011 |
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High-energy surprises found in 'constant' Crab Nebula (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- The combined data from several NASA satellites has astonished astronomers by revealing unexpected changes in X-ray emission from the Crab Nebula, once thought to be the steadiest high-energy ...
Jan 13, 2011 |
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Fahrenheit -459: Neutron stars and string theory in a lab
(PhysOrg.com) -- Using lasers to contain some ultra-chilled atoms, a team of scientists has measured the viscosity or stickiness of a gas often considered to be the sixth state of matter. The measurements ...
Dec 09, 2010 |
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Theoretical physics breakthrough: Generating matter and antimatter from the vacuum
Under just the right conditions -- which involve an ultra-high-intensity laser beam and a two-mile-long particle accelerator -- it could be possible to create something out of nothing, according to University of Michigan ...
Dec 08, 2010 |
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Neutron star
A neutron star is a type of remnant that can result from the gravitational collapse of a massive star during a Type II, Type Ib or Type Ic supernova event. Such stars are composed almost entirely of neutrons, which are subatomic particles without electrical charge and roughly the same mass as protons. Neutron stars are very hot and are supported against further collapse because of the Pauli exclusion principle. This principle states that no two neutrons (or any other fermionic particle) can occupy the same quantum state simultaneously.
A typical neutron star has a mass between 1.35 and about 2.1 solar masses, with a corresponding radius of about 12 km if the Akmal-Pandharipande-Ravenhall (APR) Equation of state (EOS) is used. In contrast, the Sun's radius is about 60,000 times that. Neutron stars have overall densities predicted by the APR EOS of 3.7 to 5.9 × 1017 kg/m³ (2.6 to 4.1 × 1014 times Solar density), which compares with the approximate density of an atomic nucleus of 3 × 1017 kg/m³. The neutron star's density varies from below 1 × 109 kg/m³ in the crust increasing with depth to above 6 or 8 × 1017 kg/m³ deeper inside.. This is approximately the weight of the entire human population condensed into the size of a sugar cube.
In general, compact stars of less than 1.44 solar masses, the Chandrasekhar limit, are white dwarfs; above 2 to 3 solar masses (the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff limit), a quark star might be created, however this is uncertain. Gravitational collapse will always occur on any star over 5 solar masses, inevitably producing a black hole.
For more information about Neutron star, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
