The 44-Minute Pulsar ASKAP J1832−0911 seen in radio and x-rays

Astronomers have made a significant discovery, detecting X-ray emission from a rare type of cosmic object known as a **Long-Period Radio Transient (LPT)** for the very first time.

The object, designated **ASKAP J1832−0911**, is extraordinarily bright in radio, reaching flux densities of 10–20 Jy.Crucially, it exhibits **coincident radio and X-ray emission**, both pulsing with a regular period of **44.2 minutes** (2,656.2412 seconds in radio, 2,634 seconds in X-rays). This combination of properties – long period, bright coherent radio, and variable X-ray emission – makes ASKAP J1832−0911 **unlike any other known object in our galaxy**. Its luminosity is **highly variable**, with both radio and X-ray emission decreasing dramatically over a few months following a 'hyper-active' phase. This variability suggests that the lack of previous X-ray detections from other LPTs might be due to not observing them during such brief bright phases. The object is estimated to be located at a distance of approximately **4.5 kpc**. Current data suggest potential classifications like an old magnetar or an ultra-magnetized white dwarf, though both interpretations present **theoretical challenges** for existing models. It is not consistent with a classical rotation-powered pulsar or a typical isolated white dwarf.

The discovery of X-ray emission from ASKAP J1832−0911 demonstrates that LPTs can be **more energetic** than previously believed. It also establishes a new class of hour-scale periodic X-ray transients linked to exceptionally bright radio emission.

Reference Article: "Detection of X-ray emission from a bright long-period radio transient" by Ziteng Wang et al..

Acknowledements: Podcast prepared with Google/NotebookLM. Illustration credits: Alex Cherney

The 44-Minute Pulsar ASKAP J1832−0911 seen in radio and x-rays

Multi-messenger astrophysics

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