Born from the stellar remnants of a super massive star, neutron stars are highly dense astronomical objects with the diameter of about a small city. Even with a radius of about 10 km, one tablespoon of neutron star weighs more than 900 billion kg – roughly the weight of Mount Everest.
Neutron stars, with their incredible density, compact neutron core, strong gravitational and magnetic fields, and high rotational velocity, make them different and more complex than other interstellar bodies. [2] Its exotic and peculiar nature has always made it a subject of curiosity and wonder to many scientists.
A neutron star is actually formed from the remains of a star 8 times more massive than our Sun after the supergiant’s nuclear fusion core reaction ends with a supernova. During the explosion, the core, with elements heavier than iron, collapses inwards to the force of its own gravitational strength. Soon enough, the outer layer of the star is blown away in the supernova, and the density of the core that remains increases exponentially.
The collapsed core now experiences high temperature and pressure rise due to the strong gravitational pull of the elements inside. The electrons and protons in the core start to merge and combine to produce neutrons in a process termed as inverse beta decay. This process goes on till the core is composed of only neutrons. The outward pressure generated from the formation of neutrons equalizes the strong inward gravitational pull. This stabilizes the conditions from a neutron star.
Due to these extreme forming conditions, neutron stars exhibit unique astronomical properties compared to other stellar objects. Neutron stars are known to have extreme density, with masses around 1.4–2.16 solar masses confined in a sphere of radius 10 km. [3] It is said a sugar-cube-sized amount of neutron-star material would weigh about 100 million tons on Earth. These astronomical marvels also boast a gravitational strength of about 1011 times that of the Earth, with surface temperatures exceeding 105 to 106 Kelvin.
A neutron star possesses magnetic fields that are a trillion times stronger than the Earth’s magnetic field. This intensely strong magnetic field is generated as a result of the dynamo effect during the star’s collapse. With a significantly short rotational period (1.4 ms to 30s) and intense magnetic field strength, a neutron star can generate a magnetosphere that can accelerate particles to relativistic speeds. These rough conditions, along with rare sightings, make neutron stars an exotic specimen for astrophysicists to study.
Works Cited
Lea, R. (2018). What are neutron stars? [online] Space.com. Available at: https://www.space.com/22180-neutron-stars.html [Accessed 16 Aug. 2024].
Pincock, S. and Fennell, J. (2023). [online] Study.com. Available at: https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-a-neutron-star-mass-density-weight.html.
Staff, A. (2024). What would happen if a tablespoonful of a neutron star was brought to Earth? [online] Astronomy Magazine. Available at: https://www.astronomy.com/science/what-would-happen-if-tablespoonful-neutron-star-was-brought-to-earth/ [Accessed 16 Aug. 2024].
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