First evidence of magnetic field ejected from a young star
November 26th, 2010 - 3:27 pm ICT by ANIWashington, Nov 26 (ANI): Astronomers have discovered the first evidence of a magnetic field in a jet of material ejected from a young star.
The find could eventually help scientists understand the nature of all types of cosmic jets and of the role of magnetic fields in star formation.
Throughout the Universe, jets of subatomic particles are ejected by three phenomena: supermassive black holes, smaller black holes or neutron stars and young stars.
“Our discovery gives a strong hint that all three types of jets originate through a common process,” said Carlos Carrasco-Gonzalez, of the Astrophysical Institute of Andalucia Spanish National Research Council (IAA-CSIC) and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
This star, possibly as massive as 10 Suns, is ejecting a jet 17 light-years long.
The scientists found that radio waves from the jet have a characteristic indicating they arose when fast-moving electrons interacted with magnetic fields.
This characteristic, called polarization, gives a preferential alignment to the electric and magnetic fields of the radio waves.
The jets from young stars, unlike the other types, emit radiation that provides information on the temperatures, speeds, and densities within the jets. This information, combined with the data on magnetic fields, can improve scientists’ understanding of how such jets work.
“In the future, combining several types of observations could give us an overall picture of how magnetic fields affect the young star and all its surroundings. This would be a big advance in understanding the process of star formation,” Rodriguez said. (ANI)
- How black holes fire gas jets into space - Jan 12, 2012
- Supermassive black hole discovered in dwarf galaxy - Jan 10, 2011
- Astromers capture rare flaring black hole - Sep 21, 2011
- Black holes that spin backwards might produce more ferocious jets of gas - Jun 02, 2010
- Physicists discover new way to visualize warped space-time - Apr 12, 2011
- Supercomputer solves gamma-ray burst mystery - Apr 08, 2011
- Milky Way's centre 10 times stronger than rest of the Galaxy - Jan 07, 2010
- Scientists discover galaxy collision triggers luminous quasar - Jun 25, 2010
- Jets streaming from black holes have more complex shape than earlier believed - Feb 18, 2010
- Cosmic clocks can help unravel universe's mysteries - Jun 25, 2010
- Massive stars are born the same way as their smaller counterparts - Jul 15, 2010
- Magnetic Force Of The Mily Way Measures 10 Nanoteslas - Jan 12, 2010
- Physical mechanism behind 'sympathetic flares' on the Sun discovered - Dec 14, 2010
- Magnetic fields play important role in birth of massive stars - Feb 22, 2010
- Astronomers stumble upon failed dwarf 'stars' - Oct 12, 2011
Tags: astrophysical, black holes, carlos carrasco, cosmic jets, csic, densities, first evidence, jets from young stars, light years, magnetic field, magnetic fields, national autonomous university, national autonomous university of mexico, national research council, neutron stars, polarization, radio waves, spanish national research council, star formation, subatomic particles