RRAT J1819-1458 is a Milky Way

neutron star A neutron star is the collapsed core of a massive supergiant star, which had a total mass of between 10 and 25 solar masses, possibly more if the star was especially metal-rich. Except for black holes and some hypothetical objects (e.g. white ...

and the best studied of the class of

rotating radio transient Rotating radio transients (RRATs) are sources of short, moderately bright, radio pulses, which were first discovered in 2006. RRATs are thought to be pulsars, i.e. rotating magnetised neutron stars which emit more sporadically and/or with higher pul ...

s (RRATs) first discovered in 2006.

General characteristics

RRAT J1819-1458 exhibits sporadic pulses of

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

emission. It has a rotation period of 4.26 seconds and a slow-down rate which implies it has a dipole

magnetic field A magnetic field is a vector field that describes the magnetic influence on moving electric charges, electric currents, and magnetic materials. A moving charge in a magnetic field experiences a force perpendicular to its own velocity and to ...

strength higher than all other RRATs. In fact its magnetic field is stronger than the quantum critical limit. Its pulses are the brightest of all the RRATs and of the original 11 sources it has the highest burst rate. The pulsar has three emission phases in one period, and most intense pulses are from the middle phase. Many pulses are observed 'double-peaked' which are mostly in the middle emission phase. The pulse intensity distribution is reported similar to some normal pulsars and 'giant pulse' pulsars suggesting similar emission mechanisms. X-ray extended emission around RRAT J1819−1458 is found, which can be interpreted with a nebula somehow powered by the pulsar. There is a possible candidate counterpart for RRAT J1819−1458. It has been observed at

X-ray An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...

wavelengths in observations using the

Chandra X-ray Observatory The Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO), previously known as the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), is a Flagship-class space telescope launched aboard the during STS-93 by NASA on July 23, 1999. Chandra is sensitive to X-ray sources 1 ...

and

XMM Newton ''XMM-Newton'', also known as the High Throughput X-ray Spectroscopy Mission and the X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission, is an X-ray space observatory launched by the European Space Agency in December 1999 on an Ariane 5 rocket. It is the second corner ...

X-ray telescopes where an X-ray spectrum typical of thermal emission from a cooling neutron was observed. Modulation of the X-ray light at the 4.26 second rotation period is also observed indicating that there are hot spots on the surface of the star, i.e. the temperature distribution is not uniform. RRAT J1819-1458 has been monitored since its discovery and has been observed to exhibit glitches, a rotational irregularity seen in many young

pulsar A pulsar (from ''pulsating radio source'') is a highly magnetized rotating neutron star that emits beams of electromagnetic radiation out of its magnetic poles. This radiation can be observed only when a beam of emission is pointing toward Ea ...

s and magnetars.

References

{{Reflist, 30em J1819-1458 Neutron stars

General characteristics

See also

References