Scattered throughout the universe are unimaginably dense remnants of stellar death, cold cores of large stars that have burned through their fuel, collapsed, and blown off their outer layers in supernova(link is external) explosions. Known as neutron
We May Finally Know How Plasma Blasts Through Insane Magnetic Fields of Neutron Stars
25 MAY 2021
New calculations from bored physicists have just brought us a bit closer to understanding how material can fall onto neutron stars to flare out powerful blasts of X-ray light.
If enough plasma is gravitationally attracted to the dead star from a binary companion, its mass is sufficient to force a way through the barrier created by the neutron star s powerful magnetic field, making its way to the neutron star atmosphere.
It s a significant part of the long-standing unsolved mystery of neutron star accretion and X-ray flares. The finding could help us to better understand the behavior of plasma in magnetic fields - something that could be applicable to the development of plasma fusion back here on Earth.