White dwarf fusion. Astronauts noticed an unusual phenomenon

The vast majority of stars are found in the universe due to the nuclear fusion reaction that takes place within them and turns hydrogen into helium. This process largely depends on the parameters of the star, but, as a rule, we owe it to him the presence of heavier elements in the Universe. They are the fuel that moves the entire star, and when they run out of them, they lead to its death.

A team of German astronomers, led by Professor Klaus Werner of the University of Tebed, discovered the stars PG1654 + 322 and PG1528 + 025, which lie between 10,000 and 25,000 light-years from Earth and elude previously known models.

A post on the subject appeared in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society and says that the objects are covered in carbon and oxygen, a completely alien combination of the elements of stars. Werner’s team’s research also shows that the new objects maintain high temperatures and radiation, indicating that nuclear fusion is still taking place within them.

Scientists from the University of La Plata and the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics have come up with an explanation for the mystery behind the creation of these objects, who argue in a parallel publication that the stars could have emerged as a result of a merger. two white dwarfs. White dwarfs are the remnants of young stars that have exhausted their nuclear fuel (hydrogen and helium). It is usually very small and dense.

To call two white dwarfs It occurs in narrow binary systems due to the contraction of their orbits due to the emission of gravitational waves. It’s usually a mixture of stars, says Dr. Miller Bertolami, who leads the team that explains the formation of a new type of star. two white dwarfs It does not produce stars rich in oxygen and carbon. However, in his view, it should be assumed that under very specific conditions, the oxygen- and carbon-rich white dwarf could rupture and feed the helium-rich white dwarf material, which might explain the mystery.

After all, none of the current models explain the existence of the newly discovered stars. Only more research and the creation of new models will help to see if such links can actually occur. Studying it will allow scientists to learn more about the evolution of binary systems and the exchange of matter between stars. Until this is clarified, the discovered stars will be discussed.