Millisecond Pulsars

June 9, 2023

Context:

Pune based astronomers have discovered two new Millisecond Pulsars (MSP) — rotating neutron stars — using an indigenously developed novel technique, which was applied during an ongoing sky survey conducted by the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT).

Image Source: The Indian Express

About Millisecond Pulsars (MSP)

MSPs are dense, tiny neutron stars, which are formed when a massive star (for example, the Sun) collapses.
They are named pulsars because they emit pulses of radiation at regular intervals.
Millisecond pulsars emit radiation every few milliseconds.
The properties of these radiations can reveal key information about the neutron stars, which are the densest bodies in the universe excluding blackholes.
Chances of detection of gravitational waves are higher when there is a significant population of MSPs in a region.

Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT):

GMRT is a low-frequency radio telescope that helps investigate various radio astrophysical problems ranging from nearby solar systems to the edge of the observable universe.
Location: Near Narayangaon in Pune district.
Operated by: The National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA) under the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.
Specification: It consists of an array of 30 antennas of 45 m diameter each, spread out over a 30 km region about 80 km from Pune, with sophisticated electronics and computing for processing the data from all the antennas.

Neutron stars:

Neutron stars are the remains of the cores of massive stars that have reached the end of their lives.
They are one of the two possible evolutionary endpoints of the most massive stars, the other being black holes.

Pulsars:

Pulsars are rotating neutron stars observed to have pulses of radiation at very regular intervals that typically range from milliseconds to seconds.
Pulsars have very strong magnetic fields which funnel jets of particles out along the two magnetic poles.
These accelerated particles produce very powerful beams of light.

News Source: Indian Express