ESA astronomers contribute to observation of newborn 'millisecond pulsar'
Astronomers combining images from the NASA/European space agency (ESA) Hubble Space Telescope with radio observations have revealed what may be the first view of a newborn millisecond pulsar, a celestial object spinning at hundreds of rotations per second. Pulsars are thought to be rapidly-rotating neutron stars, emitting regular pulses of radio waves and other electromagnetic radiation. Astronomers working with Hubble have come across an unusual system consisting of a fast-spinning pulsar and a red companion star. One of the most plausible explanations for this discovery is that the pair represent a newborn millisecond pulsar just after it has been 'spun up' by its red companion star. Although more than 90 specimens of fast-spinning millisecond pulsars are known today, no observations have yet been made to back up the theory of how they reached this state. The observations of millisecond pulsar PSR J1740-5340 seem to show the final stage of the pulsar acceleration process for the first time. This discovery appears to back up a theory that pulsars are born when an old, slowly-rotating neutron star begins to absorb matter from its elderly companion star, typically a red giant. The matter hits the surface of the neutron star and transfers energy which makes it rotate faster. This process ends when the pulsar has been revitalised and is rotating at a rate of hundreds of turns per second.