In a major breakthrough in understanding stellar life and death, Monash University scientists have created the first ever model to convincingly explain the formation of the lightest known neutron star.
Using detailed three-dimensional simulations, the model answers important questions about the neutron star’s formation during the explosion or collapse of a supernova, and challenges assumptions about stellar evolution and explosion physics.
Officially unveiled today in a new research paper, the model deals with the lightest known neutron star, located 4000 lightyears from Earth, measuring just 24 kilometres wide but weighing 1.174 times the mass of the Sun.
The research has been led by Monash School of Physics and Astronomy Associate Professor Bernhard Müeller and Professor Alexander Heger.
“Our findings push the boundaries of what we know about neutron star formation, and by extension about the supernova explosions that accompany them,” Associate Professor Müeller said.
“This is the lowest neutron star mass ever obtained in 3D simulations, and we now actually have a case where we can test our models and theories against very precise observations.
“This whole question of how big neutron stars are and how the masses are distributed are part of a very big puzzle that we can now begin to piece together with detailed simulations.”
Neutron stars are formed when massive stars explode as supernovae, expelling their outer shell and interior matter to leave behind a ‘dead’ star that longer longer generates energy by nuclear fusion in its interior.
This makes neutron stars rarely detectable from Earth; of an estimated one billion in the galaxy, less than 4000 are thought to have been observed.
Despite their small size, these stars are usually heavier than our Sun, making them some of the densest known objects.
Professor Heger said complex computer simulations, like the Monash model, pave the way for scientists to learn more about them, and fill in other gaps in our understanding of the cosmos.
“While there’s more work to be done, this progress highlights the exciting potential of computational astrophysics to test and refine our theories of the universe,” Professor Heger said.
“It demonstrates the power of modern supercomputing and collaborative efforts in unravelling the mysteries of stellar life cycles.”
The study was supported by an Australian Research Council grant and the National Computational Infrastructure’s Gadi supercomputer.
The research team included Dr Jade Powell from Swinburne University of Technology Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing.
The research paper has been published today in peer-reviewed scientific journal Physical Review Letters and is available online at doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2407.08407
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