Neutron Star Animation, Stills and Lightcurves
This video shows the fate of certain binary star systems with a neutron star, such as the one discussed in the May 23, 2002, press release from MIT: Pulsar Whittles Away Stellar Companion to Planet-Size. One star, several times more massive than the sun, experiences a core collapse, which produces a neutron star. This neutron star slowly accretes matter from its companion star, spinning faster as it absorbs that star's rotational energy. Scientists say that such neutron stars cannibalize their companions, becoming isolate millisecond pulsars.
Credit: NASA
[download Quicktime file, 9.5 megs] or [AVI file, 6.5 megs]
This animation illustrates the accretion flow, with gas from a large companion star swirling around a tiny neutron star, attracted by the neutron star's gravity.
Credit: NASA
A neutron star, shown here with magnetic field lines marked in blue. Credit: Robert Mallozzi, U. Alabama/Huntsville & NASA. [download 300 dpi TIFF]
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An artist's conception of an X-ray pulsar in a binary star system: Matter from a companion star, a Red Giant in the first scenario, channels onto a rapidly spinning neutron star at its magnetic poles. The second image shows strong magnetic fields running in loops from pole to pole. Radiation in the form of X-rays appears to pulse on and off as hot patches of gas are exposed at the poles with the neutron star's rotation. (The axis of rotation is different from the axis of the magnetic field.) The neutron star -- more massive than the Sun yet with a diameter of only 12-20 km -- is extremely dense. Its strong gravitational force accelerates infalling matter to high energies. Art Credit: NASA
Data from the April 22, 2002, press release "Scientists Catch Speeding Neutron Star With "Radar Gun" Technique, Confirm Theory." The image is a representation of the pulsations seen during the superburst. Time increases to the right and pulsation frequency increases upward. The colors indicate the strength of the pulsation in the order blue - red - orange - yellow. The white curve near the top shows the X-ray intensity of the superburst versus time. The increase in the pulsation frequency is caused by the orbital motion of the neutron star.
Credit: NASA, Strohmayer
[download 300 dpi TIFF] or [download postscript]
A Chandra image of neutron star KS 1731-260, remarkably cool after 12 years of being bombarded with hot gas from a companion star, not visible here. The now dim KS 1731-260 is the light blue object slightly above the midline of this image. (This image supports the September 2, 2001, press release "Star in Deep Freeze Chills Theory, MIT Researchers Report".)
Credit: NASA/Chandra/Wijnands et al.
[download 300 dpi TIFF] or [postscript]
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The Chandra lightcurve and spectrum of neutron star KS 1731-260. Credit: NASA/Chandra/Wijnands et al. (This image supports the September 2, 2001, press release "Star in Deep Freeze Chills Theory, MIT Researchers Report".)
[download 300 dpi TIFF] or [download 300 dpi postscript]
Most bursts last for 10 seconds. Here, we see a 10-second burst triggering an unprecedented 10,000 second burst. Above and below are the light curves of time vs. detected photons for the three-hour burst. Note the linear plot (above) cannot contain the entire burst, for the burst is just too long. The log plot (below) does show the entire burst. Credit: Tod Strohmayer, NASA/GSFC, RXTE
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