Astronomers were recently left astounded when the Vela pulsar unleashed on Earth an energy burst of 20 trillion electron volts - the most high-energy gamma rays ever detected from a pulsar.
The phenomenon, captured by scientists, challenges the current understanding of pulsars and their energy emissions.
"We have discovered gamma-ray photons reaching 20 tera electron volts (TeV) from the Vela pulsar. These are the highest-energy gamma rays ever detected from a pulsar," study co-author Arache Djannati-Ataï, a CNRS researcher, told a science news agency.
Previously considered a relatively normal pulsar, the Vela pulsar's emission was 200 times more energetic than any previously observed radiation from this object. This has prompted a reconsideration of the traditional theory that attributes radiation to fast electrons created and emitted by the pulsar's magnetosphere.
"This is basically a stress test for our theories," says Hayk Hakobyan, an astrophysicist at Columbia University who was not part of the study.
Astronomers are now exploring alternative explanations, including the possibility that particles from the Vela pulsar are being propelled outside its magnetic membrane or that there are magnetic fields in unexpected areas.
The groundbreaking discovery not only challenges our understanding of pulsars but also offers the potential to deepen our knowledge of other magnetized objects, such as black hole magnetospheres.
The study was published in Nature Astronomy journal.