A team of astronomers has identified a previously unknown category of cosmic objects that exhibit unique radiation patterns. By analyzing public data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, researchers located 84 of these so-called “hypersoft X-ray sources” across six different galaxies, including the Andromeda (M31) and Pinwheel (M101) galaxies.
These objects are characterized by their emission of low-energy X-rays, which are often difficult for telescopes to detect. Because these X-rays border the ultraviolet spectrum, the researchers concluded that the sources also generate significant amounts of intense ultraviolet radiation. According to the study, published in Nature Astronomy, these sources appear in both regions of active star formation and areas populated by older stars.
While the exact nature of these sources remains under investigation, the team suspects they are binary systems consisting of a black hole, neutron star, or white dwarf accreting material from a companion star. The intense radiation may be produced as this material heats up before falling into the compact object.
The discovery could potentially address two major astrophysical questions. First, these systems might be the long-sought progenitors of Type Ia supernovae, which are essential for measuring the universe's expansion. Second, the intense ultraviolet output from these sources may explain the process of stripping electrons from interstellar gas, a phenomenon that influences galaxy evolution and star formation rates.
These objects have historically remained hidden because their low-energy X-rays are difficult to capture, and their ultraviolet emissions are frequently blocked by interstellar hydrogen and helium. “By combing through the Chandra archive, we were able to eliminate what used to be a blind spot for telescopes,” said co-author Rosanne Di Stefano of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian.
Source: NASA
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