[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” background_image=”https:\/\/www.ieec.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/slider-comunicacio.jpg” max_height=”130px” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”24px||11px|||” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Unitats de recerca” _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _dynamic_attributes=”content” _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|700||on|||||” text_font_size=”16px” header_font=”|700|||||||” custom_margin=”||10px||false|false” header_font_size_tablet=”28px” header_font_size_phone=”26px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoiY3VzdG9tX21ldGFfb3JnYW5pemFjaW9uZXMiLCJzZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJiZWZvcmUiOiIiLCJhZnRlciI6IiIsImVuYWJsZV9odG1sIjoib2ZmIn19@[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_post_title author=”off” categories=”off” comments=”off” featured_image=”off” admin_label=”T\u00edtol i data” _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” title_font=”Cairo|300|||||||” title_font_size=”40px” meta_font=”||on||||||” meta_font_size=”16px” title_font_size_tablet=”35px” title_font_size_phone=”30px” title_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_post_title][et_pb_text admin_label=”Subt\u00edtols” _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Source Sans Pro||on||||||” text_font_size=”24px” text_line_height=”1.1em” text_font_size_tablet=”22px” text_font_size_phone=”20px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_post_title title=”off” meta=”off” _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” border_width_top=”10px” border_color_top=”#406fda” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_post_title][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”||||||||” text_font_size=”15px” text_line_height=”1.1em” background_color=”rgba(64,111,218,0.15)” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”30px|20px|30px|20px|true|true” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Legend<\/strong>: <\/span>Artist\u2019s impression of the pulsar PSR J1023+0038.<\/span><\/p>\n Credits: <\/strong>ESO\/M. Kornmesser.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” link_font=”|700|||on||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n An international team of astronomers has uncovered the strange behaviour of a pulsar\u2014a super-fast-spinning dead star\u2014that<\/span> switches between two brightness modes <\/b>almost constantly. Thanks to an observational campaign that involved 12 telescopes both on the ground and in space, including three <\/span>European Southern Observatory<\/span><\/a> (ESO) facilities, the team found that <\/span>sudden ejections of matter from the pulsar over very short periods are responsible for the peculiar switches<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n The research, published today in <\/span>Astronomy & Astrophysics<\/span><\/i>, has the highlighted contribution of the members of the <\/span>Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia<\/span><\/a> (IEEC) Francesco Coti Zelati and Diego F. Torres, researchers at the <\/span>Institute of Space Sciences<\/span><\/a> (ICE-CSIC).<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” link_font=”|700|||on||||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n \u201c<\/span><\/i>We have witnessed extraordinary cosmic events where enormous amounts of matter, similar to cosmic cannonballs, are launched into space within a very brief time span of tens of seconds from a small, dense celestial object rotating at incredibly high speeds,<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/i> says Maria Cristina Baglio, researcher at New York University Abu Dhabi, affiliated with the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), and the lead author of the article.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A pulsar is a <\/span>fast-rotating, magnetic, dead star that emits a beam of electromagnetic radiation into space<\/b>. As it rotates, this beam sweeps across the cosmos \u2014 much like a lighthouse beam scanning its surroundings \u2014 and is detected by astronomers as it intersects the line of sight to Earth. This makes the star appear to pulse in brightness as seen from our planet.<\/span><\/p>\n PSR J1023+0038, or J1023 for short, is a special type of pulsar with a bizarre behaviour. Located about 4,500 light-years away in the Sextans constellation, it closely orbits another star. Over the past decade, the pulsar has been actively pulling matter off this companion, which accumulates in a disc around the pulsar and slowly falls towards it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_divider color=”#406fda” divider_weight=”2px” _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”15.6px” custom_margin=”||10px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Cairo|700|||||||” text_text_color=”#406fda” text_font_size=”20px” custom_margin=”||10px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Video<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_video src=”http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=YScuIfa-MmQ” _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” max_width=”100%” min_height=”296.4px” max_height=”1000px” custom_margin=”||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_video][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” link_font=”|700|||on||||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Since this process of accumulating matter began, the sweeping beam virtually vanished and<\/span> the pulsar started incessantly switching between two modes<\/b>. In the \u2018high\u2019 mode, the pulsar gives off bright X-rays, ultraviolet and visible light, while in the \u2018low\u2019 mode it\u2019s dimmer at these frequencies and emits more radio waves. The pulsar can stay in each mode for several seconds or minutes, and then switch to the other mode in just a few seconds. This switching has thus far puzzled astronomers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “Our unprecedented observing campaign to understand this pulsar\u2019s behaviour involved a dozen cutting-edge ground-based and space-borne telescopes,”<\/span> says ICE-CSIC and IEEC researcher Coti Zelati, co-lead author of the paper. <\/span>\u201cWe have discovered that the mode switching stems from an intricate interplay between the pulsar wind, a flow of high-energy particles blowing away from the pulsar, and matter flowing towards the pulsar,\u201d<\/span> he adds.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” link_font=”|700|||on||||” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n The campaign included ESO\u2019s Very Large Telescope (<\/span>VLT<\/span><\/a>) and New Technology Telescope (<\/span>NTT<\/span><\/a>), which detected visible and near-infrared light, as well as the Atacama Large Millimeter\/submillimeter Array (<\/span>ALMA<\/span><\/a>), in which ESO is a partner. Over two nights in June 2021, the telescopes observed the system make over 280 switches between its \u2018high\u2019 and \u2018low\u2019 modes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#FFFFFF” text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.1em” background_color=”#406fda” text_orientation=”center” width=”70%” width_tablet=”70%” width_phone=”70%” width_last_edited=”on|desktop” module_alignment=”center” custom_padding=”40px|50px|40px|50px|true|true” custom_padding_tablet=”40px|50px|40px|50px|true|true” custom_padding_phone=”30px|20px|30px|20px|true|true” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” hover_enabled=”0″ text_font_size_tablet=”21px” text_font_size_phone=”19px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n “Our unprecedented observing campaign to understand this pulsar\u2019s behaviour involved a dozen cutting-edge ground-based and space-borne telescopes<\/em>,”<\/span> says ICE-CSIC and IEEC researcher Coti Zelati, co-lead author of the paper.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n In the low mode, matter flowing towards the pulsar is expelled in a narrow jet perpendicular to the disc. Gradually, this matter accumulates closer and closer to the pulsar and, as this happens, it is hit by the wind blowing from the pulsating star, causing the matter to heat up. The system is now in a high mode, glowing brightly in the X-ray, ultraviolet and visible light. Eventually, blobs of this hot matter are removed by the pulsar via the jet. With less hot matter in the disc, the system glows less brightly, switching back into the low mode.<\/span><\/p>\n While <\/span>this discovery has unlocked the mystery of J1023\u2019s strange behaviour<\/b>, astronomers still have much to learn from studying this unique system and ESO\u2019s telescopes will continue to help astronomers observe this peculiar pulsar. In particular, the Extremely Large Telescope (<\/span>ELT<\/span><\/a>), currently under construction in Chile, will offer an unprecedented view of J1023\u2019s switching mechanisms.<\/span><\/p>\n Press release prepared in collaboration with the Institute of Space Sciences (ICE-CSIC).<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”30px||||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_divider color=”#406fda” _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||10px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text admin_label=”M\u00e9s informaci\u00f3” _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Cairo|700|||||||” text_text_color=”#406fda” text_font_size=”20px” custom_margin=”||10px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n More information<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”16px” text_line_height=”1.1em” link_font=”|700|||on||||” custom_margin=”20px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n This research is presented in a paper entitled \u201c<\/span>\u00ab<\/span>Matter ejections behind the highs and lows of the transitional millisecond pulsar PSRJ1023+0038<\/span><\/a>\u201d, by <\/span>M.C. Baglio, F. Coti Zelati, <\/span>et al.<\/span><\/i>, to appear in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics on 30 August 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_divider color=”#406fda” _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||10px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text admin_label=”Enlla\u00e7os” _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Cairo|700|||||||” text_text_color=”#406fda” text_font_size=”20px” custom_margin=”||10px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Links<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”16px” text_line_height=”1.1em” link_font=”|700|||on|||#1a1140|” link_text_color=”#1a1140″ link_line_height=”1.4em” custom_margin=”20px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Contactes” _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Cairo|700|||||||” text_text_color=”#406fda” text_font_size=”20px” custom_margin=”||10px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Contacts<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ admin_label=”Row” _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”|||20px|false|false” border_width_left=”1px” border_color_left=”#406fda” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”16px” text_line_height=”1.1em” link_font=”|700|||on|||#1a1140|” link_text_color=”#1a1140″ link_line_height=”1.4em” header_4_font=”|700|||||||” header_4_text_color=”#1a1140″ custom_margin=”||||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Barcelona, Spain [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”|||20px|false|false” border_width_left=”1px” border_color_left=”#406fda” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.8″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”16px” text_line_height=”1em” link_font=”|700|||on||||” link_text_color=”#1a1140″ header_4_font=”|700|||||||” header_4_text_color=”#1a1140″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Barcelona, Spain<\/p>\n Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC) [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" PSR J1023+0038 is a special type of pulsar located about 4500 light-years away in the Sextans constellation, which has a strange behaviour: it switches between two modes. This fact has thus far puzzled astronomers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":21634,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"2880","footnotes":""},"categories":[111,74,98],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-highlighted-news-small","category-news","category-science"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
IEEC Communication Office<\/h4>\n
E-mail: comunicacio@ieec.cat<\/a><\/p>\nLead Researcher at the IEEC<\/h4>\n
Francesco Coti Zelati<\/h4>\n
Institute of Space Sciences (ICE-CSIC)
E-mail: cotizelati@ieec.cat<\/a>; cotizelati@ice.csic.es<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n