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    Chapter 11

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    Aaron Most
    1) Neutron stars form during supernova explosions when the core of a massive star collapses, reaching densities of 1014 g/cm3. They spin rapidly and have strong magnetic fields. 2) Pulsars are rotating, magnetized neutron stars that emit beams of electromagnetic radiation seen as pulses from Earth. The Crab Pulsar is located at the center of the Crab Nebula supernova remnant. 3) Black holes form when the core of a massive star collapses beyond the neutron star mass limit of 3 solar masses, creating an event horizon from which nothing, not even light, can escape.

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    Chapter 11

    Uploaded by

    Aaron Most
    79 views30 pages
    1) Neutron stars form during supernova explosions when the core of a massive star collapses, reaching densities of 1014 g/cm3. They spin rapidly and have strong magnetic fields. 2) Pulsars are rotating, magnetized neutron stars that emit beams of electromagnetic radiation seen as pulses from Earth. The Crab Pulsar is located at the center of the Crab Nebula supernova remnant. 3) Black holes form when the core of a massive star collapses beyond the neutron star mass limit of 3 solar masses, creating an event horizon from which nothing, not even light, can escape.

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    Chapter 11

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    1) Neutron stars form during supernova explosions when the core of a massive star collapses, reaching densities of 1014 g/cm3. They spin rapidly and have strong magnetic fields. 2) Pulsars are rotating, magnetized neutron stars that emit beams of electromagnetic radiation seen as pulses from Earth. The Crab Pulsar is located at the center of the Crab Nebula supernova remnant. 3) Black holes form when the core of a massive star collapses beyond the neutron star mass limit of 3 solar masses, creating an event horizon from which nothing, not even light, can escape.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    79 views30 pages

    Chapter 11

    Uploaded by

    Aaron Most
    1) Neutron stars form during supernova explosions when the core of a massive star collapses, reaching densities of 1014 g/cm3. They spin rapidly and have strong magnetic fields. 2) Pulsars are rotating, magnetized neutron stars that emit beams of electromagnetic radiation seen as pulses from Earth. The Crab Pulsar is located at the center of the Crab Nebula supernova remnant. 3) Black holes form when the core of a massive star collapses beyond the neutron star mass limit of 3 solar masses, creating an event horizon from which nothing, not even light, can escape.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 30

    Chapter 11:

    Neutron Stars
    and
    Black Holes

    Neutron Stars
    A supernova
    explosion of an
    M > 8 Msun star
    blows away its
    outer layers.

    The central core Pressure becomes so high


    will collapse into that electrons and protons
    combine to form stable
    a compact object
    neutrons throughout the
    of ~ a few Msun.
    object.
    Typical size: R ~ 10 km

    Mass: M ~ 1.4 3 Msun


    Density: r ~ 1014 g/cm3

    Piece of neutron
    star matter of the
    size of a sugar cube
    has a mass of ~ 100
    million tons!!!

    Discovery of Pulsars
    Angular momentum conservation
    => Collapsing stellar core spins up
    to periods of ~ a few milliseconds.
    Magnetic fields are amplified
    up to B ~ 109 1015 G.
    (up to 1012 times the average
    magnetic field of the sun)

    => Rapidly pulsed (optical and radio) emission from some


    objects interpreted as spin period of neutron stars

    The Crab Pulsar

    Pulsar wind + jets

    Remnant of a supernova observed in A.D. 1054

    The Crab Pulsar

    Visual image

    X-ray image

    Light curves of the Crab Pulsar

    The Lighthouse Model of Pulsars


    A pulsars
    magnetic field
    has a dipole
    structure, just
    like Earth.

    Radiation
    is emitted
    mostly
    along the
    magnetic
    poles.

    Images of Pulsars and


    other Neutron Stars

    The Vela pulsar moving


    through interstellar space

    The Crab
    Nebula and
    pulsar

    The Effects of Pulsar Winds

    Pulsars blow off a


    constant stream
    (wind) of highenergy particles:

    pulsar winds

    Proper Motion of Neutron Stars


    Some neutron stars are
    moving rapidly through
    interstellar space.

    This might be a result of


    anisotropies during the
    supernova explosion
    forming the neutron star.

    Binary Pulsars
    Some pulsars form binaries with
    other neutron stars (or black holes)
    Radial velocities resulting from
    the orbital motion lengthen the
    pulsar period when the pulsar
    is moving away from Earth

    and shorten the pulsar period


    when it is approaching Earth.

    Neutron Stars in Binary Systems:


    X-ray binaries
    Example: Her X-1
    2 Msun (F-type) star

    Neutron star

    Orbital period =
    1.7 days
    Accretion disk material heats to several million K
    => X-ray emission

    Star eclipses neutron


    star and accretion
    disk periodically

    Compact Objects with


    Disks and Jets
    Black holes and
    neutron stars can
    be part of a
    binary system.
    Matter gets
    pulled off from
    the companion
    star, forming an
    accretion disk.

    => Strong X-ray source!

    Heats up to a
    few million K.

    The X-Ray Burster 4U 1820-30


    Several bursting X-ray sources have been observed:
    Rapid outburst followed by gradual decay

    Optical

    Ultraviolet

    Pulsar Planets
    Some pulsars have
    planets orbiting
    around them.
    Just like in binary pulsars,
    this can be discovered
    through variations of the
    pulsar period.
    As the planets orbit
    around the pulsar, they
    cause it to wobble
    around, resulting in slight
    changes of the observed
    pulsar period.

    Black Holes
    Just like white dwarfs (Chandrasekhar limit: 1.4 Msun),
    there is a mass limit for neutron stars:

    Neutron stars can not exist


    with masses > 3 Msun
    We know of no mechanism to halt the collapse
    of a compact object with > 3 Msun.

    It will collapse into a single point a singularity:

    => A black hole!

    Escape Velocity
    Velocity needed to
    escape Earths gravity
    from the surface: vesc
    11.6 km/s.
    Now, gravitational force
    decreases with distance (~
    1/d2) => Starting out high
    above the surface =>
    lower escape velocity.

    If you could compress


    Earth to a smaller radius
    => higher escape velocity
    from the surface.

    vesc

    vesc

    vesc

    The Schwarzschild Radius


    => There is a limiting radius
    where the escape velocity
    reaches the speed of light, c:

    2GM
    Rs = ____
    c2
    G = gravitational constant
    M = mass

    Rs is called the
    Schwarzschild radius.

    Vesc = c

    Schwarzschild Radius
    and Event Horizon
    No object can travel faster
    than the speed of light
    => nothing (not even light)
    can escape from inside
    the Schwarzschild radius
    We have no way of

    finding out whats


    happening inside the
    Schwarzschild radius.
    Event horizon

    Black Holes Have No Hair


    Matter forming a black hole is losing
    almost all of its properties.
    black holes are completely
    determined by 3 quantities:

    mass
    angular momentum
    (electric charge)

    Gravitational
    Potential

    The Gravitational Field


    of a Black Hole

    Distance from
    central mass

    The gravitational potential


    (and gravitational attraction
    force) at the Schwarzschild
    radius of a black hole
    becomes infinite.

    General Relativity Effects


    Near Black Holes

    An astronaut descending down


    towards the event horizon of
    the black hole will be stretched
    vertically (tidal effects) and
    squeezed laterally.

    General Relativity Effects


    Near Black Holes (II)
    Time dilation
    Clocks starting at
    12:00 at each point.
    After 3 hours (for an
    observer far away
    from the black hole):

    Clocks closer to the black


    hole run more slowly.

    Time dilation
    becomes infinite at
    the event horizon.
    Event horizon

    General Relativity Effects


    Near Black Holes (III)
    gravitational redshift

    All wavelengths of emissions


    from near the event horizon
    are stretched (redshifted).
    Frequencies are lowered.

    Event horizon

    Observing Black Holes


    No light can escape a black hole
    => Black holes can not be observed directly.
    If an invisible compact
    object is part of a binary,
    we can estimate its
    mass from the orbital
    period and radial
    velocity.

    Mass > 3 Msun


    => Black hole!

    Compact object with


    > 3 Msun must be a
    black hole!

    Jets of Energy from


    Compact Objects

    Some X-ray binaries


    show jets perpendicular
    to the accretion disk

    Model of the X-Ray Binary SS 433


    Optical spectrum shows spectral
    lines from material in the jet.
    Two sets of lines:
    one blue-shifted,
    one red-shifted

    Line systems shift


    back and forth across
    each other due to jet
    precession

    Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs)


    Short (~ a few s), bright bursts of gamma-rays

    GRB of May 10, 1999:


    1 day after the GRB

    2 days after the GRB

    Later discovered with X-ray and optical


    afterglows lasting several hours a few days
    Many have now been associated with host
    galaxies at large (cosmological) distances.
    Probably related to the deaths of very
    massive (> 25 Msun) stars.

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