Astronomers of the University of East Anglia have discovered an unusual pair of neutron stars, whose existence reveals the cause of the mysterious outbreak GW170817 recorded in 2017. This was reported in an article published in the journal Nature.
The researchers found the pulsar PSR J1913+1102, which is part of a binary system and revolve around another neutron star. Scientists estimate that approximately half a billion years, both objects have to face, highlighting energy in the form of gravitational waves and electromagnetic radiation. An unusual feature of the pair is that both neutron stars vary by mass.
According to forecasts of scientists, this asymmetry of the binary system will lead to the fact that the merger of these objects will generate a giant explosion that will resemble the flash GW170817 also generated by the collision of neutron stars. An enormous amount of substances, as well as gravity and light energy observed in 2017, came as a surprise because it did not meet the models of the collision. However, earlier it was considered only those scenarios in which both neutron stars are equal in mass.
Since one neutron star much more massive than the other, its gravitational influence will lead to the destruction of the second neutron stars before they merge. The result should be allocated more hot matter than in the case of binary systems with equal mass, which, in turn, leads to more powerful radiation.
