White dwarf binaries identified as source of long-period radio transients

long-period radio transients white dwarf binary cataclysmic variables radio astronomy ASKAP

Astronomers have identified a potential explanation for long-period radio transients (LPTs), mysterious signals characterized by highly polarized, coherent radio bursts that repeat at intervals ranging from minutes to hours. Research published in Nature Astronomy suggests that these signals originate from cataclysmic variable binary star systems.

An international team of researchers, including scientists from the University of Sydney, CSIRO, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, focused on a specific transient named ASKAP J1745-5051 (or J17). This object, located approximately 3,000 light-years away in the Milky Way, features a white dwarf in a 1.3-hour orbit with a companion star.

The study found that J17 exhibits orbitally modulated X-ray emission and radio bursts that drift in frequency. Unlike pulsars, which emit pulses rapidly, these LPTs emit energy at much slower rates. The discovery of this white dwarf binary provides a “Rosetta Stone” for understanding the physical origins of these previously puzzling astronomical phenomena.

Entities

ASKAP · CSIRO · Nature Astronomy · University of Sydney · University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Sources

Strange Signals Called Long-period Radio Transits Come From Cataclysmic Variables [www.universetoday.com]

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