Blitzar
Blitzars are a new type of astronomical object proposed as explanation for Lorimer bursts.[1]
A blitzar is thought to start from a neutron star with a mass that would cause it to collapse into a black hole if it were not rapidly spinning. Instead, the neutron star spins fast enough so that its centrifugal force keeps the collapse from happening. This makes the neutron star a typical but doomed pulsar. Over a few million years, the pulsar's strong magnetic field radiates energy away and slows its spin. Eventually the weakening centrifugal force is no longer able to stop the pulsar from its transformation into a black hole. At this moment of blitzar formation, part of the pulsar's magnetic field outside the black hole is suddenly cut off from its vanished source. This magnetic energy is instantly transformed into a burst of wide spectrum radio energy.[2] There are possibly 5 such events detected, and a projected rate of one every 10 seconds.[2] Because the magnetic field had previously cleared the surrounding space of gas and dust, there is no nearby material that will fall into the new black hole. Thus there is no burst of X-rays or gamma rays that usually happens when other black holes form.[2]
If blitzars exist, they may offer a new way to observe details of black hole formation.[3]
References
- ^ Heino Falcke; Luciano Rezzolla (2013). "Fast radio bursts: The last sign of supramassive neutron stars". arXiv:1307.1409 [astro-ph.HE].
- ^ a b c Thornton, D.; Stappers, B.; Bailes, M.; Barsdell, B.; Bates, S.; Bhat, N. D. R.; Burgay, M.; Burke-Spolaor, S.; Champion, D. J.; Coster, P.; d'Amico, N.; Jameson, A.; Johnston, S.; Keith, M.; Kramer, M.; Levin, L.; Milia, S.; Ng, C.; Possenti, A.; Van Straten, W. (5 July 2013). "A Population of Fast Radio Bursts at Cosmological Distances". Science. 341 (6141): 53–56. arXiv:1307.1628. Bibcode:2013arXiv1307.1628T. doi:10.1126/science.1236789. PMID 23828936.. Summarized in Mysterious Radio Flashes May Be Farewell Greetings from Massive Stars Collapsing Into Black Holes and Cosmic Radio Bursts Point to Cataclysmic Origin
- ^ Heino Falcke & Luciano Rezzolla. "Blitzars: Fast Radio Bursts from Supramassive Rotating Neutron Stars". Retrieved 8 July 2013.