China’s Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT) [IMAGE: INSTITUTE OF HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE]

Using China’s Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT) led by the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, scientists observed an X-ray accretion pulsar GRO J1008-57 and found its surface magnetic field was as high as 1 billion Tesla. This is the strongest magnetic field that has ever been directly and reliably measured. It is about 60 percent higher than the previous record of the strongest magnetic field held by NASA’s Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) satellite.

Neutron stars have the strongest magnetic fields in the universe. Neutron star X-ray binaries are systems consisting of a neutron star and a normal stellar companion. By detecting the cyclotron absorption line in the radiation energy spectrum when they interact, the magnetic field near the surface of the neutron star can be directly detected.

Dubbed Insight, HXMT, launched in June 2017, is China’s first X-ray astronomy satellite. Compared with other X-ray satellites, it has the advantages of covering a broad energy band, a larger detection area in the high-energy X-ray band, high time resolution, small detection dead time, and no photon pileup effect when observing strong sources. It thus boasts the unique feature of detecting high-energy cyclotron absorption lines.

Source: Institute of High Energy Physics,

Chinese Academy of Science