September 28, 2013

Artistic concept of a pulsar capturing materials from a companion star (Image ESA)

An international team has discovered a pulsar called IGR J18245-2452 that oscillates between two types: radio pulsars and X-ray pulsars. This is an important discovery in the study of neutron stars because it shows the evolutionary link between these two types of emissions. The discovery of this phase in the evolution of pulsars confirms a theory that’s more than thirty years old.