In the last few years, astronomers have actually identified radio pulses from sources in the Milky Way that last from seconds to minutes.

These pulses differ from anything anticipated from understood pulsars, which produce pulses on the order of milliseconds.

Unlike radio pulsars, these so-called long-period transients (LPTs) are routine at timescales of 10s of minutes to hours.

There have actually been a couple of hypotheses for the origins of these unique pulses, however proof has actually been little.

“There are a number of extremely allured neutron stars, or magnetars, that are understood to display radio pulses with a duration of a couple of seconds,” stated Northwestern astrophysicist Charles Kilpatrick.

“Some astrophysicists likewise have actually argued that sources may give off pulses at routine time periods due to the fact that they are spinning, so we just see the radio emission when source is turned towards us.”

“Now, we understand a minimum of some long-period radio transients originate from binaries.”

“We hope this encourages radio astronomers to localize brand-new classes of sources that may develop from neutron star or magnetar binaries.”

In their research study, Dr. Kilpatrick and coworkers concentrated on routine radio signals from a short-term radio source designated ILT J110160.52 +552119.62 (ILT J1101 +5521).

Utilizing an unique imaging strategy, they found numerous of these radio pulses in the information gathered by the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR).

Performing like a big radio electronic camera, the telescope might identify the precise area of the radio source in the sky.

According to the group, the item has to do with 1,600 light-years away in the constellation of Ursa Major.

Follow-up observations with the 6.5-m size Multiple Mirror Telescope in Arizona and the Hobby-Eberly Telescope in Texas revealed that ILT J1101 +5521 is not one flashing star, however 2 stars that together trigger the pulse.

The 2 stars, a white dwarf in orbit around a red dwarf, orbit a typical center of mass every 125.5 minutes.

According to the scientists, there are 2 possibilities for how the stars create the abnormally long radio pulses.

Possibly, the radio bursts originate from the strong electromagnetic field of the white dwarf, or they might be produced by the interaction of the electromagnetic fields of the white dwarf and its outstanding buddy.

More observations are required to clarify this.

“Thanks to this discovery, we now understand that compact items besides neutron stars can producing brilliant radio emission,” stated Dr. Kaustubh Rajwade, an astronomer at the University of Oxford.

The discovery is reported in a paper released today in the journal Nature Astronomy

_____

I. de Ruiter et alErratic radio pulses from a white dwarf binary at the orbital duration. Nat Astronreleased online March 12, 2025; doi: 10.1038/ s41550-025-02491-0