In astronomy, blitzars are a hypothetical type of star, specifically pulsars that can rapidly collapse into black holes. Heino Falcke and Luciano Rezzolla[1] proposed these stars in 2013 as an explanation for fast radio bursts.[2]
Overview
These stars, if they exist, are thought to start from a neutron star with a mass that would cause it to collapse into a black hole if it were not rapidly spinning. Instead, the neutron star spins fast enough so that its centripetal force overcomes gravity. This makes the neutron star a typical but doomed pulsar whose strong magnetic field radiates energy away and slows its spin. Eventually the weakening centrifugal force is no longer able to stop the pulsar from its transformation into a black hole. At this moment, part of the pulsar's magnetic field outside the black hole is suddenly cut off from its vanished source. This magnetic energy is instantly transformed into a burst of wide spectrum radio energy.[3] As of January 20, 2015, seven [4] radio events detected so far might represent such possible collapses; they are projected to occur every 10 seconds within the observable universe.[3] Because the magnetic field had previously cleared the surrounding space of gas and dust, there is no nearby material that will fall into the new black hole. Thus there is no burst of X-rays or gamma rays that usually happens when other black holes form.[3]
If blitzars exist, they may offer a new way to observe details of black hole formation.[5]
References
"Afscheidsgroet van een stervende ster" (in Dutch). Radboud University Nijmegen. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2015.[permanent dead link]
Heino Falcke; Luciano Rezzolla (2014). "Fast radio bursts: The last sign of supramassive neutron stars". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 562: A137. arXiv:1307.1409. Bibcode:2014A&A...562A.137F. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201321996. S2CID 32284857.
Thornton, D.; Stappers, B.; Bailes, M.; Barsdell, B.; Bates, S.; Bhat, N. D. R.; Burgay, M.; Burke-Spolaor, S.; Champion, D. J.; Coster, P.; d'Amico, N.; Jameson, A.; Johnston, S.; Keith, M.; Kramer, M.; Levin, L.; Milia, S.; Ng, C.; Possenti, A.; Van Straten, W. (5 July 2013). "A Population of Fast Radio Bursts at Cosmological Distances". Science. 341 (6141): 53–56. arXiv:1307.1628. Bibcode:2013Sci...341...53T. doi:10.1126/science.1236789. PMID 23828936. S2CID 206548502.. Summarized in Mysterious Radio Flashes May Be Farewell Greetings from Massive Stars Collapsing Into Black Holes and Cosmic Radio Bursts Point to Cataclysmic Origin
"Extremely short, sharp flash of radio waves from unknown source in the universe, caught as it was happening". 2015-01-19. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
Heino Falcke & Luciano Rezzolla. "Blitzars: Fast Radio Bursts from Supramassive Rotating Neutron Stars". Retrieved 8 July 2013.
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Accretion Molecular cloud Bok globule Young stellar object
Protostar Pre-main-sequence Herbig Ae/Be T Tauri FU Orionis Herbig–Haro object Hayashi track Henyey track
Main sequence Red-giant branch Horizontal branch
Red clump Asymptotic giant branch
super-AGB Blue loop Protoplanetary nebula Planetary nebula PG1159 Dredge-up OH/IR Instability strip Luminous blue variable Blue straggler Stellar population Supernova Superluminous supernova / Hypernova
Early Late Main sequence
O B A F G K M Brown dwarf WR OB Subdwarf
O B Subgiant Giant
Blue Red Yellow Bright giant Supergiant
Blue Red Yellow Hypergiant
Yellow Carbon
S CN CH White dwarf Chemically peculiar
Am Ap/Bp HgMn Helium-weak Barium Extreme helium Lambda Boötis Lead Technetium Be
Shell B[e]
White dwarf
Helium planet Black dwarf Neutron
Radio-quiet Pulsar
Binary X-ray Magnetar Stellar black hole X-ray binary
Burster
Hypothetical
Blue dwarf Green Black dwarf Exotic
Boson Electroweak Strange Preon Planck Dark Dark-energy Quark Q Black Gravastar Frozen Quasi-star Thorne–Żytkow object Iron Blitzar
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Structure
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Properties
Designation Dynamics Effective temperature Luminosity Kinematics Magnetic field Absolute magnitude Mass Metallicity Rotation Starlight Variable Photometric system Color index Hertzsprung–Russell diagram Color–color diagram
Star systems
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Contact Common envelope Eclipsing Symbiotic Multiple Cluster
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Neutron star
Types
Single pulsars
Magnetar
Soft gamma repeater Anomalous X-ray Rotating radio transient
Binary pulsars
Binary X-ray pulsar
X-ray binary X-ray burster List Millisecond Be/X-ray Spin-up
Properties
Blitzar
Fast radio burst Bondi accretion Chandrasekhar limit Gamma-ray burst Glitch Neutronium Neutron-star oscillation Optical Pulsar kick Quasi-periodic oscillation Relativistic Rp-process Starquake Timing noise Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff limit Urca process
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Gamma-ray burst progenitors Asteroseismology Compact star
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Discovery
LGM-1 Centaurus X-3 Timeline of white dwarfs, neutron stars, and supernovae
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Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope Compton Gamma Ray Observatory Chandra X-ray Observatory
Other
X-ray pulsar-based navigation Tempo software program Astropulse The Magnificent Seven
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