Scientists have, for the first time, directly measured the magnetic field of a pulsar using NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), marking a significant breakthrough in the study of some of the universe’s most extreme objects.
The observations focused on PSR J1101-6101, a rapidly spinning pulsar located within the Lighthouse Nebula. According to NASA, the findings provide fresh insights into the structure and behaviour of neutron stars.
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A pulsar is a highly magnetised type of neutron star that rotates at extraordinary speeds while emitting beams of radiation. The pulsar at the centre of the Lighthouse Nebula completes approximately 16 rotations every second.
Neutron stars are the dense remnants of massive stars that have exhausted their nuclear fuel and exploded as supernovae. Although they contain more mass than the Sun, they are compressed into an object roughly the size of a city, making them ideal natural laboratories for studying extreme physical conditions.
The breakthrough was made possible by IXPE’s ability to measure X-ray polarisation—a property of light that describes the orientation of its electric field vibrations. By analysing the degree of polarisation, scientists were able to directly probe the pulsar’s magnetic field, offering valuable clues about its internal structure and the powerful processes occurring around it.
NASA said the discovery represents another important step in understanding the fundamental physics governing neutron stars and the extreme environments found across the universe.
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