Shedding light on the rarest and brightest exploding stars, Queen's University researchers found that these super-luminous supernovae may be powered by magnetars.
Scientists don't have much understanding about luminous exploding stars, better known as luminous supernovae. However, in a new study, researchers from Queen's University found that most of these supernovae are powered by small and incredibly dense neutron stars, with gigantic magnetic fields that spin hundreds of times a second.
For the study, researchers observed two of the brightest supernovae for a year. They also used some very powerful telescopes and data collected by Pan-STARRS. Previous beliefs have it that these supernovae are formed by super-massive star explosions. However, the new findings show that they are formed by a type of explosion that takes place within the star's core, leading to the creation of small stars that have extremely dense magnetic fields.
"Supernovae are several billions of times brighter than the Sun, and in fact are so bright that amateur astronomers regularly search for new ones in nearby galaxies. It has been known for decades that the heat and light from these supernovae come from powerful blast-waves and radioactive material," said Matt Nicholl, a research student at the Astrophysics Research Centre at Queen's School of Mathematics and Physics in a press release. "But recently some very unusual supernovae have been found, which are too bright to be explained in this way. They are hundreds of times brighter than those found over the last fifty years and the origin of their extreme properties is quite mysterious.
Explaining the phenomenon further, researchers said that during a supernova explosion, the outer layers of stars are violently rejected. During the process, the star's core collapses and forms an extremely dense neuron star. This star weighs as much as the sun. In some instances, these neuron stars develop a very strong magnetic field and spin at approximately 300 times a second. The energy produced is transmitted to the supernova, making it brighter than usual.
These supernovae are very special because of their brightness. Researchers claim that they can be used as torches in the Universe. Using the light emitted from them researchers may be able to photograph distant objects in space.
