Researchers have discovered a new type of star surrounded by cosmic ash. It is not yet known how the newly discovered star type might have come into existence.
When stars in a certain mass range run out of fuel, these stars explode, leaving behind a dense core that can no longer fuse. white dwarf This remnant, called the remnant, which contains abundant hydrogen and helium in its atmosphere, slowly slows down at the background temperature of the universe for several trillion years. it cools.
Now astronomers are not very familiar with this definition. inconsistent They discovered two new white dwarfs. According to the study, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society in the form of two studies, unlike ordinary white dwarfs, there is a significant increase in their atmosphere. carbon and oxygen How this new type of white dwarf is formed is still a mystery.
A serious challenge to accepted understanding of stellar evolution
The carbon and oxygen in the atmosphere of the two newly discovered white dwarfs are actually ashes from the stars burning helium, which means that under normal circumstances these two white dwarfs should have survived this process a long time ago. In addition to being covered with ash, these two new types of white dwarfs are comparatively smaller than other white dwarfs. much hotter and Large still in its core helium It could be a sign that they might be on fire.
Professor Klaus Werner, the lead researcher of the team that made the discovery, said about their extraordinary discovery. “We would normally expect stars with these surface compositions to have finished burning helium in their cores and be on their way to becoming white dwarfs.” he says, and that the new stars they discover pose a serious challenge to the accepted understanding of stellar evolution. “challenge” states that it is.
Researchers have a hypothesis about how a new kind of white dwarf might have come into existence.
How they came into existence is not yet fully understood, but researchers have no clue as to how these strange stars were born. hypothesis exists. According to this, the researchers stated that white dwarf pairs in close binary systems can attract each other until they collide in some cases, if the composition of both white dwarfs is correct. collision He states that as a result of this, new types of white dwarfs may have formed.
about it “Usually, white dwarf mergers lead to the formation of carbon- and oxygen-rich stars. does not lead” Lead author of the study, Dr. Miller Bertolami; He states that they believe that in binary systems formed with very special masses, a white dwarf rich in carbon and oxygen may deteriorate and rise above a helium-rich white dwarf, and that these stars may eventually form.
However, this model does not explain all the observed features of new stars. The research team is working to understand the origins of new types of white dwarfs. more workor indicates a need.
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On the other hand, these interesting white dwarfs have recently attracted researchers. in astonishment White dwarfs aren’t the only ones leaving. Another recent study discovered ring-system white dwarfs, white dwarf pulsars, and a rather unusual white dwarf that glows brightly in infrared light but cannot be observed in normal light.