Astronomers have found strong evidence that some mysterious, minutes-long X-ray flashes are produced when two neutron stars collide and create a magnetar. One record-setting event glowed in X-rays for nearly 10 minutes, potentially opening a new way to find these extreme cosmic mergers. A record-breaking X-ray flash may reveal the birth of a magnetar.
A record-breaking X-ray flash may reveal the birth of a magnetar Science News from research organizations A record-breaking X-ray flash may reveal the birth of a magnetar A mysterious X-ray flash lasting nearly 10 minutes may have revealed the birth of a magnetar after two neutron stars collided. These flashes can vanish in less than two seconds. Now, new research suggests that some neutron star mergers may also produce X-ray flashes that remain visible for several minutes.
A study published in Science Bulletin presents strong evidence for that connection. The findings raise the possibility that some mysterious cosmic flashes, whose sources have been difficult to explain, may actually come from merging neutron stars. Since the Einstein Probe satellite launched in January 2024, astronomers have detected hundreds of bright X-ray flashes from distant galaxies.
These events, called fast X-ray transients, have several possible origins.
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