A team of astronomers reported finding a “binary star”, a white dwarf with hydrogen on one side. But the other side is helium on the whole side.
Astronomers report discovery of a strange star be like “Two Faced Star”
by it iswhite dwarf (White Dwarf) or the last phase of most stars with less mass But unlike normal white dwarfs, One side of the star is almost entirely composed of hydrogen gas. But on the other hand, it contains helium gas. It was the first time that astronomers had discovered a naturally two-sided star.
Dr. Ilaria Chiasso, a Caltech astrophysicist who led the discovery team, said: “One side of the surface of this white dwarf is completely different from the other. They were amazed.”
The bifaced star, located more than 1,000 light years from Earth, is in the constellation Cygnus. earned the nickname “Janus” (Janus) Named after the Roman god of gates and transformations. which is a god with two faces
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The official scientific name is ZTF J203349.8+322901.1. It was first discovered by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), a sky-scanning instrument from Caltech’s Palomar Observatory near San Diego.
The discovery was made while Chiasso was studying white dwarfs in space until he stumbled upon a white dwarf that stood out from the rest. due to the rapid change of brightness
Upon further observation, she found that Janus rotates around itself every 15 minutes. or optical measurements to analyze what substances on distant stars contain “One side of the star is almost entirely hydrogen. and the other side is almost entirely helium.”
If you look close Both sides of the star are blue and have similar brightness. But on the helium side, it looks like a small patch, like our Sun. while the hydrogen side looks smoother.
Astronomers have not been able to find a definite explanation for that. Why does Janus look like this? One hypothesis is Janus may be undergoing a rare transformation process. This is predicted to occur during the evolution of white dwarfs.
In general, white dwarfs have strong gravitational fields. This causes heavier elements to be pulled into the core and lighter elements to float. This often creates a two-layer atmosphere. with helium at the bottom covered with a thin layer of hydrogen, the lightest element
As the star cools below about 30,000 degrees Celsius, its thicker helium layer begins to change. Causing the external hydrogen layer to mix, dilute and mix until it disappears
“The surface of some white dwarfs can undergo a transition from hydrogen to helium … We may find white dwarfs undergoing such a transition,” Chiasso said.
However, this transition should occur simultaneously across the planet’s surface. It’s not just one side of the surface. The research team believes that This may be the result of an asymmetrical magnetic field.
“The magnetic field around Janus may not be asymmetrical. or stronger on one side … and the magnetic field can prevent the mixing of elements. Therefore, if the magnetic field on one side is stronger, That side has less mixing and more hydrogen,” Chiasso explains.
Another theory proposed by the research team is that Magnetic fields can change the pressure and density of gases in the atmosphere.
James Fuller, one of the researchers Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics at Caltech And this could allow hydrogen to form where the magnetic field is most intense.”
to solve this puzzle The research team hopes to find more Janus-like white dwarfs.
Read the full research here
compiled from Phys.org / The Guardian
Image courtesy of K. Miller, Caltech/IPAC.
