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The Question
(Submitted October 06, 1996)
I have recently learned of the discovery of a new state of
matter called the "neutron star" state, but I am unable to
find any information regarding it, only that it is a new
state of matter. If you have any information concerning
this topic, please e-mail it to me. Your efforts would
be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
The Answer
Thank you for your question regarding the neutron star state of matter.
Yes, there is this state of matter, but unfortunately it is only
found in the corpses of dead massive stars that have undergone a
"supernova" explosion.
For information regarding neutron stars and supernovae on the
world wide web you can look at Imagine the Universe!
under the
Basic and
Advanced
High-Energy Astrophysics sections.
Or, any text book on astronomy will describe this as well.
Here is an additional explanation:
Neutron stars are compact objects that are created in from the core of
massive stars during supernova explosions. Due to its massive weight,
the core of the star collapses, and crushes together every proton with
a corresponding electron turning each electron-proton pair into a
neutron. The neutrons, however, can often stop the collapse and remain
as a neutron star.
Neutron stars are fascinating objects, because they are the most dense
objects known. They are only about 10 miles in diameter, yet they are more
massive than the sun. One sugar cube of neutron star material weighs about
100 million tons, which is about as much as a mountain.
Like their less massive counterparts, white dwarfs, the heaver a neutron
star gets the smaller it gets. Imagine if a 10 pound bag of flour was
smaller than a 5 pound bag.
Neutron stars can be observed occasionally as an extremely small and
hot star within a supernova remnant. However, they are more likely to
be seen when they are a pulsar or part of an X-ray Binary.
Neutron stars are also speculated to be involved in other high energy
phenomena that we still do not understand. Neutron stars are fascinating
objects that are involved in many high energy phenomena.
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