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3w ago

Mysterious Cosmic Transient Emits Radio and X-Ray Pulses Every 44 Minutes

Simultaneous ASKAP–Chandra observations exposed energetic bursts defying existing long-period transient models

An image of the sky shows the region around ASKAP J1832-0911. X-ray observations are from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, radio data from the South African MeerKAT radio telescope, and infrared data from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope.
A wide field composite image shows ASKAP J1832 in X-ray, radio, and infrared light.
The ASKAP radio telescope is seen in Wajarri Yamaji Country in Western Australia.

Overview

  • ASKAP J1832-0911 produces two-minute bursts of radio waves and X-rays at 44-minute intervals, marking it as a long-period transient (LPT).
  • This is the first LPT detected with X-ray emission, discovered through the rare coincidence of ASKAP’s wide-field radio survey and Chandra’s targeted X-ray observations.
  • Located roughly 15,000 light-years away in the Milky Way, the object’s combined radio and X-ray luminosity fell by a factor of 1,000 between February and August 2024.
  • Leading hypotheses include a magnetar or a binary containing a highly magnetized white dwarf, but neither fully explains the object’s synchronized, long-period behavior.
  • The finding suggests LPTs may harbor far more energetic processes than previously thought and could require new physics or revised models of stellar evolution.