NASA’s IXPE May Have Proven 90-Year-Old Theory
A first of its kind measurement of a magnetar may have captured empty space behaving in a way physicists have predicted for 90 years, but never directly observed. The results published Wednesday in Nature. Fast facts Scientists using NASA’s IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) conducted more than 140 hours of observations of the magnetar 1E […] The post NASA’s IXPE May Have Proven…
NASA's IXPE mission may have provided the first direct observation of a 90-year-old theory regarding the behavior of empty space in the presence of extreme magnetic fields. The results, published in Nature, reveal that vacuum birefringence, a prediction of quantum electrodynamics, could indeed be at play. The theory suggests that the vacuum of space can act like a lens or prism, filtering light based on its direction, thereby enhancing its total polarization.
IXPE's X-ray polarization measurements of magnetar 1E 1547.0-5408, a neutron star with magnetic fields over a trillion times stronger than Earth's, show polarization levels nearly three times greater than those seen in similar sources. The findings support the idea that the extraordinary magnetic fields of magnetars can boost the polarization of photons beyond what standard surface emission models predict.
This breakthrough provides valuable insights into the extreme physics of neutron stars and the fabric of reality itself, demonstrating the potential for further discoveries through IXPE's ongoing observations.
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- NASA’s IXPE May Have Proven 90-Year-Old Theory science.nasa.gov
