what are pulsars

what are pulsars

1 year ago 62
Nature

Pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars that emit beams of electromagnetic radiation out of their magnetic poles. These beams of radiation can be observed only when they are pointing towards Earth, and this is responsible for the pulsed appearance of emission. Neutron stars are very dense and have short, regular rotational periods, which produces a very precise interval between pulses that ranges from milliseconds to seconds for an individual pulsar. Pulsars have strong magnetic fields that funnel particles along, and this causes them to emit high-energy beams from their north and south magnetic poles. When these beams are pointed towards Earth and flash across us as the neutron star rotates, we see pulses. Pulsars are one of the candidates for the source of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays.

Pulsars are fantastic cosmic tools for scientists to study a wide range of phenomena. The light emitted by a pulsar carries information about these objects and what is happening inside them. That means pulsars give scientists information about the physics of neutron stars, which are the densest material in the universe. Under such incredible pressure, matter behaves in ways not seen before in any other environment in the universe.

To summarize, pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars that emit beams of electromagnetic radiation out of their magnetic poles. They are one of the candidates for the source of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays and are fantastic cosmic tools for scientists to study a wide range of phenomena.

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