...the who's who,
and the what's what 
of the space industry

Space Careers

news Space News

Search News Archive

Title

Article text

Keyword

  • Home
  • News
  • New X-ray Emission Discovery Challenges Understanding of Long-Period Radio Transients

New X-ray Emission Discovery Challenges Understanding of Long-Period Radio Transients

Written by  Monday, 02 June 2025 06:29
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jun 03, 2025
Astronomers at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) and international collaborators have uncovered a striking phenomenon: a cosmic object emitting both radio waves and X-rays. The object, dubbed ASKAP J1832-0911, pulses radio and X-ray emissions every 44 minutes, with each episode lasting two minutes. This marks the first detection of a so-called long-period transi
New X-ray Emission Discovery Challenges Understanding of Long-Period Radio Transients
by Simon Mansfield
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jun 03, 2025

Astronomers at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) and international collaborators have uncovered a striking phenomenon: a cosmic object emitting both radio waves and X-rays.

The object, dubbed ASKAP J1832-0911, pulses radio and X-ray emissions every 44 minutes, with each episode lasting two minutes. This marks the first detection of a so-called long-period transient (LPT) in X-rays, opening new avenues for understanding these enigmatic signals that have puzzled astronomers since their initial discovery in 2022.

The team identified ASKAP J1832-0911 using the ASKAP radio telescope in Australia, correlating the radio pulses with X-ray emissions detected by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. "Discovering that ASKAP J1832-0911 was emitting X-rays felt like finding a needle in a haystack," said Dr Ziteng (Andy) Wang from ICRAR's Curtin University node. "The ASKAP radio telescope has a wide field view, while Chandra observes only a fraction of the night sky. It was fortunate that Chandra happened to be observing the same region."

Since 2022, astronomers have detected ten LPTs worldwide, yet their exact nature remains a mystery. "This object is unlike anything we have seen before," Dr Wang added. "ASKAP J1832-0911 might be a magnetar, or a highly magnetised white dwarf in a binary system. But even these possibilities do not fully explain what we observe, suggesting a new type of physics or stellar evolution may be at play."

Detecting both X-ray and radio emissions may help astronomers find more LPTs and deepen our understanding. Professor Nanda Rea, second author from ICE-CSIC and IEEC in Spain, said, "Finding one such object hints at the existence of many more. The discovery of its transient X-ray emission opens fresh insights into their mysterious nature."

She highlighted the study's global collaboration: "What was also truly remarkable is that this study showcases an incredible teamwork effort, with contributions from researchers across the globe with different and complementary expertise."

ASKAP J1832-0911's X-ray detection significantly narrows the possibilities of what these objects might be, given that X-rays carry much more energy than radio waves. This discovery may point toward previously unknown physical mechanisms or evolutionary pathways for certain stellar remnants.

Research Report:Detection of X-ray Emission from a Bright Long-Period Radio Transient

Related Links
International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research
Understanding Time and Space


Read more from original source...

Interested in Space?

Hit the buttons below to follow us...