Discovery: Sun-like stars with secret companions

A recent discovery led by Caltech scientist Kareem El-Badry has left the scientific community buzzing. The researchers have uncovered an astonishing 21 neutron stars orbiting Sun-like stars.

Neutron stars, the dense remnants of exploded massive stars, are inherently very faint and virtually undetectable on their own.

But here’s the twist – when they circle around a Sun-like star, these neutron stars create a tug, which causes the Sun-like star to wobble in space.

Gaia: The star revealer

The European Space Agency’s Gaia mission was instrumental in helping the astronomers detect these subtle starry wobbles, unveiling a whole new population of these elusive dark neutron stars.

“Gaia is continuously scanning the sky and measuring the wobbles of more than a billion stars, so the odds are good for finding even very rare objects,” noted El-Badry. This breakthrough is a testimony of the power of Gaia.

The research had significant contributions from various stellar scientists around the globe. Data from several ground-based telescopes were used to study in-depth about the masses and orbits of the hidden neutron stars.

Fascinating characteristics of neutron stars

El-Badry’s findings showed that these neutron stars are much farther from their Sun-like companions than previously found pairings, making them too distant to steal material from their partner Sun-like stars. Due to this, they stay dormant and dark.

“These are the first neutron stars discovered purely due to their gravitational effects,” noted El-Badry.

However, this discovery presents an intriguing question – how does an exploded star wind up next to a star like our Sun?

The mystery still remains. “We still do not have a complete model for how these binaries form,” said El-Badry.

The discovery of these new systems indicates that some binaries survive explosive processes, even though existing models struggle to elaborate how.

“The formation history of these objects is puzzling: it is unclear both how the binaries escaped a merger or dramatic orbital shrinkage when the neuron star progenitors were red supergiants, and how they remained bound when the neuron stars formed,” wrote the study authors.

El-Badry expressed his interest in locating dormant black holes in orbit with Sun-like stars. With the help of Gaia data, he has already found two such quiet black holes hiding in our own galaxy.

Future of binary star research

El-Badry’s team is poised to delve even deeper into the realms of binary star systems with the continuous influx of data from the Gaia mission.

This discovery is just the beginning, as future observations will likely reveal even more hidden neutron stars and dormant black holes.

The enhanced understanding of these systems will provide crucial insights into stellar evolution and the lifecycle of massive stars.

Implications of discovering sun-like stars

The discovery of these 21 neutron stars orbiting Sun-like stars has profound implications for the field of astrophysics. It challenges existing theories about the formation and evolution of binary systems, particularly those involving neutron stars.

The data could eventually lead to a paradigm shift in our understanding of stellar dynamics, gravitational interactions, and the end stages of stellar evolution. These findings may also impact other areas of research, such as the study of gravitational waves and the search for exoplanets.

Research beyond sun-like stars

The implications of these discoveries extend beyond our own galaxy. By studying these neutron star and Sun-like star binaries, scientists can gain insights into similar systems in other parts of the universe.

This research helps build a more comprehensive picture of how stars and their remnants interact across different cosmic environments.

As Gaia continues to provide unprecedented amounts of data, the hope is that it will unlock more secrets of the universe, enhancing our understanding of the cosmos and our place within it.

“We don’t know for sure how these black hole binaries formed either,” noted El-Badry.

Indeed, there are gaps in our models for the evolution of binary stars. However, the continued effort to find more of these dark companions will play an essential role in bridging these gaps.

The study is published in The Open Journal of Astrophysics.

Image Credit: Caltech/R. Hurt (IPAC)

—–

Like what you read? Subscribe to our newsletter for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates. 

Check us out on EarthSnap, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

—–