Chinese astronomers detect radio pulses from long-silent neutron star

BEIJING -- Chinese scientists have detected radio pulses for the first time from a young neutron star known as a central compact object (CCO) that had long remained "radio-quiet," according to their research article published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

This breakthrough, the first successful detection of its kind in decades of global searches, provides crucial evidence for understanding the formation and evolution of young neutron stars.

Among known neutron stars, there has always been a special subclass: located at the centers of supernova remnants, they shine brightly in X-rays and exhibit multiple hallmarks of young neutron stars, yet have long evaded detection in radio wavelengths. These objects are therefore designated as CCOs.

Are these objects intrinsically radio-quiet, or merely too faint to detect? This study provides a definitive answer.

Scientists from the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Department of Astronomy of Tsinghua University conducted an in-depth search for multiple CCO targets using the MeerKAT radio telescope, a precursor array of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) in South Africa.

For the first time, they detected a radio pulse signal with a period of approximately 424 milliseconds emanating from the prototypical CCO at the center of the supernova remnant, confirming its identity as a radio pulsar.

The findings demonstrate that even young neutron stars with relatively weak magnetic fields can generate radio pulse emissions. They also suggest that many faint, young pulsars may still be hidden in the Milky Way.