A magnetar can be born when two neutron stars touch
All neutron stars have intense magnetic fields. The typical magnetic field of a neutron star is about 100,000 times stronger than the strongest magnetic fields we can create on Earth. But about 1% of neutron stars have even stronger magnetic fields. Known as magnetars, their magnetic fields can be 1,000 times stronger than a regular magnetic field. They are a likely cause of powerful transient…
Neutron stars, already possessing intense magnetic fields, can give rise to even more powerful fields known as magnetars. These magnetars, with fields a thousand times stronger than regular neutron stars, are believed to be responsible for certain transient cosmic events. A recent study explores the formation of magnetars during the merging of binary neutron stars.
Typically, such a merger results in a black hole, as the total mass of the colliding stars often exceeds the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff limit. However, if the combined mass of the neutron stars is below this limit, they can merge into a single neutron star. A team of researchers conducted high-resolution simulations on Japan's FUGAKU supercomputer, focusing on low-mass neutron star binaries.
They assumed the magnetic fields of these stars were near the upper range of typical neutron stars, at around 3 trillion gauss. Their findings reveal that within milliseconds of the stars' collision, the fluid surrounding them experiences a Kelvin–Helmholtz instability. This turbulence mixes the neutron material so rapidly that it significantly amplifies the magnetic field, potentially making it more than 300 times stronger than the initial field.
This quick amplification suggests that magnetars can indeed form through such neutron star mergers, leading to a neutron star rather than a black hole. Further research is needed to fully understand this process.
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