NASA Telescopes Shed Light on Mystery of Deep Space Signals

A recent discovery made by two NASA X-ray telescopes offers new insights into the enigmatic phenomenon of fast radio bursts originating from deep space. These fleeting bursts of radio waves, lasting only a fraction of a second, have long puzzled astronomers due to their immense energy release, comparable to that of the sun over a year, and their unique laser-like beam characteristics.
While fast radio bursts typically emanate from beyond our galaxy’s borders, a significant breakthrough occurred in 2020 when one was detected within the Milky Way galaxy, originating from a magnetar—a dense remnant of a collapsed star. Further investigation into this phenomenon led scientists to closely study another fast radio burst event in October 2022, produced by the same magnetar, SGR 1935+2154.
Utilizing NASA’s NICER (Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer) on the International Space Station and NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array) in low Earth orbit, researchers observed the magnetar’s activity preceding and following the fast radio burst. The results, published in the journal Nature, shed light on the intricate dynamics of magnetars and their potential connection to fast radio bursts.
Surprisingly, the magnetar exhibited an unprecedented deceleration between two rotational glitches, slowing down to less than its pre-glitch speed within a mere nine hours—100 times faster than previously observed. This rapid alteration in rotational speed suggests an intriguing correlation with the generation of fast radio bursts.
The study authors propose several hypotheses regarding the mechanisms underlying fast radio burst production in magnetars, considering factors such as the dense composition of neutron stars, the presence of a superfluid interior, and the influence of powerful magnetic fields. One possibility is that the interaction between the solid exterior and the superfluid interior of the magnetar may lead to eruptions akin to volcanic events, subsequently triggering fast radio bursts.
However, despite these significant findings, uncertainties remain, and further observations are needed to unravel the full complexity of fast radio bursts and their origins. As George Younes, a researcher at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, notes, additional data are essential to complete the puzzle surrounding these mysterious deep space signals.

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