A simple explanation of the highest energy gamma rays from a pulsar

 

What is a pulsar?

A pulsar is a very small and very dense star that spins very fast and has a very strong magnetic field. It is the remains of a bigger star that exploded in a huge blast called a supernova. You can think of a pulsar as a cosmic lighthouse that sends out beams of light and other kinds of radiation. Sometimes, these beams sweep across the Earth, and we can see them as flashes or pulses.

What are gamma rays?

Gamma rays are a type of radiation that has very high energy and very short wavelength. They are more energetic than X-rays, ultraviolet rays, visible light, infrared rays, or radio waves. Gamma rays can be produced by nuclear reactions, cosmic rays, or very hot objects in space, such as black holes, neutron stars, or pulsars.

What did the scientists discover?

Scientists using a special telescope in Namibia discovered that the Vela pulsar, which is about 7500 light-years away from us, emits gamma rays with the highest energy ever detected from a pulsar. These gamma rays have an energy of 20 tera-electronvolts (TeV), which is about 10 trillion times the energy of visible light. This is like comparing the energy of a single photon of light to the energy of 10 trillion photons.

Why is this discovery important?

This discovery is important because it challenges our understanding of how pulsars work and how they produce such high-energy radiation. Scientists think that the gamma rays come from electrons that are accelerated by the pulsar’s magnetic field and then release their energy as they move away from the star. But to reach such high energies, the electrons might have to travel farther than the pulsar’s magnetic field can reach, which is puzzling. Scientists also wonder how the gamma rays keep the same pattern as the pulses we see at lower energies.

This discovery opens a new window for studying other pulsars and their extreme environments. It also shows the power and potential of gamma-ray astronomy, which can reveal new phenomena and mysteries in our universe.