A neutron star forms when the core of a massive star runs out of nuclear fuel and collapses in on itself. That causes an explosion, of the type known as a supernova, that ejects all the matter in the star into space except that which is concentrated in the ultradense core. Neutron stars usually pack more mass than our Sun into a ball the size of a city, but if the mass is too great, they cannot continue to exist as such and collapse completely in on themselves, becoming black holes.
Strangely, an analysis of observations made at the time by the Compton Gamma-ray Observatory in space, as well as computer simulations related to those observations, reveal the existence, albeit fleeting, of neutron superstars with a mass and size exceeding clearly to the maximum for an object of this class.
Neutron superstars spin nearly 1,300 times on themselves every second, almost double that of J1748-2446ad, the fastest-rotating pulsar (a type of neutron star) of all known. This rapid rotation is what prevents mysterious neutron superstars from collapsing in on themselves the instant they form.
However, they do not survive beyond a few tenths of a second after their birth. After that short period of time has elapsed, the neutron superstar collapses in on itself, transforming into a black hole.
By analyzing the above observations and simulations, especially the brief gamma-ray bursts emitted in the process, NASA’s Cecilia Chirenti’s team has detected light patterns that indicate various instances of the brief existence of a superheavy neutron star with little before collapsing in on itself and becoming a black hole.
The creation of such a massive neutron star typically occurs by the merger of two neutron stars into one.
A neutron star that emerged from the merger between two and possessing more mass than a star of its class can have, is capable of existing for a fleeting moment thanks to its extremely fast rotation. (Image: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center / STAG Research Center / Peter Hammond)
The study is titled “Kilohertz quasiperiodic oscillations in short gamma-ray bursts”. And it has been published in the academic journal Nature. (Fountain: NCYT de Amazings)