Chinese astronomical satellites have recently discovered the strongest magnetic field yet observed in the universe, located on the surface of a neutron star over 22,000 light-years away from Earth.
This latest discovery was made by the Chinese Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (Insight-HXMT), which is mounted on a satellite. It is the most powerful high-energy X-ray telescope currently in orbit.
“The broad energy range and extensive coverage of Insight-HXMT in the Hard X-ray band allow us to detect CRSF (Cyclotron Resonance Scattering Feature) at the highest energy levels observed to date,” the research team stated in an article published in the Astronomy & Astrophysics journal. This publication was peer-reviewed on June 28.
“The detection of CRSF is the only way to directly measure the magnetic field close to the surface of a neutron star,” the research team added.
The discovery shows pulsars with complex magnetic field structures. (Photo: Chinese Academy of Sciences).
The study indicated that the magnetic field—intensity measuring 1.6 billion Tesla—was identified on the surface of a neutron star named Swift J0243.6 + 6124, located over 22,000 light-years from Earth.
The average magnetic field on the surface of Earth is about 0.00005 Tesla, meaning the magnetic field on the neutron star is 32 trillion times stronger than that of Earth.
This discovery surpasses the previous record of one billion Tesla measured on another neutron star.
The new research was conducted by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Xiangtan University, Tsinghua University, Eberhard Karls University in Germany, and the Russian Academy of Sciences.
