Einstein probe satellite or discovery of new temporary celestial bodies

2024-11-01

On the 31st, the reporter learned from the achievement conference held by the Chinese Academy of Sciences that Einstein probe satellite found a possible new temporary object, whose spectral and time-varying characteristics are not completely consistent with the known types of objects. This discovery has important scientific value for expanding our understanding of the transient population of celestial bodies in the universe and comprehending extreme physical processes. The relevant research results were published online in the journal "Chinese Science: Physics, Mechanics, Astronomy". Temporary celestial bodies are like fleeting cosmic fireworks, a violent explosion phenomenon in the universe. These spectacular and magical "fireworks" carry key information about the formation and evolution of celestial bodies, and are of great significance for studying extreme phenomena in the universe and exploring the mysteries of the universe. On April 8, 2024, the Einstein probe satellite discovered a transient celestial body EP240408a and recorded a violent burst of its X-rays. The brightness of this X-ray burst increased by 300 times and lasted only 12 seconds. After about 10 days, the X-ray radiation of the celestial body disappeared. The discovery of the transient celestial body EP240408a may indicate a new type of transient source, whose radiation is concentrated in X-rays and relatively weak, with a duration of only about 10 days, making it difficult to detect by other X-rays and telescopes in other bands. This discovery suggests that the temporary celestial bodies we previously knew may only be the tip of the iceberg Yuan Weimin, chief scientist of Einstein Probe Satellite and researcher of the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said, "We published this innovative achievement in a Chinese journal, highlighting China's contribution to human exploration of the universe." In addition to the temporary presence of celestial bodies, Einstein Probe Satellite also successfully detected the gamma ray bursts EP240315a from 25.6 billion light years away. This discovery demonstrates the satellite's ability to detect gamma ray bursts from the early universe and provides a new perspective for further understanding the physical processes of black holes and relativistic jets produced by stellar collapse. Yuan Weimin introduced that since its launch in January this year, the Einstein probe satellite has detected 60 confirmed temporary celestial bodies, thousands of candidate temporary celestial bodies, and more than 480 stellar flares, and detected hundreds of known celestial body eruptions. The satellite team has sent over 100 astronomical alerts to the international astronomical community, guiding the follow-up observations of ground and space multi band equipment internationally. In this regard, Paul O'Brien, a professor at the University of Leicester in the UK, commented that "Einstein probe satellite has fully proved the importance of wide field X-ray astronomy. Its powerful sky survey and follow-up observation capabilities not only enable us to find many new temporary X-ray sources, but also routinely monitor known X-ray sources." On the same day, the Chinese Academy of Sciences also held the ceremony for the delivery of Einstein probe satellite in orbit, and officially named the satellite "Tianguan". The term 'Tianguan' originated from the observation and recording of the 'Tianguan guest star' supernova explosion by the Ministry of Astronomy in the first year of Zhihe in the Northern Song Dynasty of China. Naming the satellite 'Tianguan' reflects China's deep roots in supernova explosion observation and recording and its outstanding contribution to world astronomy, "said Yuan Weimin. (New Society)

Edit:Yao jue    Responsible editor:Xie Tunan

Source:Science and Technology Daily

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