binary millisecond pulsar

New source of lithium production found in the Universe

A team of researchers from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), the University of Manchester and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have detected an anomalously high lithium abundance in the atmosphere of the companion star of a binary millisecond pulsar. The lithium abundance is higher compared to stars with the same effective temperature and high-metallicity stars and so the study provides unambiguous evidence for fresh lithium production.

A massive pulsar irradiates a Solar-type star

A massive pulsar irradiates a Solar-type star

Researchers from the UPC and the IAC discover one of the most massive neutron stars. Using a pioneering method, researchers from the Astronomy and Astrophysics Group of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) and the Canary Islands Institute of Astrophysics (IAC) have found a neutron star of about 2.3 solar masses—one of the most massive…

A 2.3 Solar-mass neutron star in PSR J2215_5135

A 2.3 Solar-mass neutron star in PSR J2215+5135

VIDEO: PSR J2215+5135 Orbital period: 4.14 hours Spin period: 2.61 milliseconds Distance from Earth: about 10.000 light-years The inner face of the companion star, strongly irradiated by the pulsar, is heated up to about 8100 degrees Kelvin. As a consequence, hydrogen absorption lines dominate the visible spectrum of the hot side of the star. The…