Chapter 1: Introduction to Spider Stars

Recent astronomical observations have unveiled a new type of cosmic entity known as "spider stars." These pulsars display aggressive behavior towards their binary companions, akin to predatory actions observed in nature. While black holes are renowned for their voracious appetite, it turns out that these spider stars also engage in destructive interactions, tearing apart their companion stars.

A study conducted by an international team of astronomers classified certain extreme binary pulsars with semi-degenerate companion stars as "spider pulsars." They further differentiated between two categories based on the mass of the companion star: those with masses under 0.1 solar masses are termed "black widows," while heavier companions are referred to as "redbacks."

Section 1.1: Understanding Pulsars

To clarify, spider stars are a specific type of millisecond pulsar or neutron star, which can be likened to cosmic clocks, emitting regular pulses at intervals of approximately 30 milliseconds. These neutron stars are the remnants of supernova explosions, and they often siphon off material from their binary companions. This infalling matter accelerates the pulsar's rotation speed.

Subsection 1.1.1: Research Findings

"We present timing solutions for eight binary millisecond pulsars (MSPs) discovered by searching unidentified Fermi-LAT source positions with the 327 MHz receiver of the Arecibo 305-m radio telescope."

~ Researchers

Section 1.2: Characteristics of Spider Stars

Spider stars are unique in that they orbit their companions so closely that they can strip away significant portions of the companion's mass. This violent interaction resembles a spider dismantling its prey. Julia Deneva and her team from George Mason University analyzed eight binary millisecond pulsars from 2013 to 2018, revealing fascinating insights.

Their findings indicated that five of the MSPs—J0251+2606, J1805+0615, J1908+2105, J2052+1219, and J1048+2339—are categorized as spider pulsars, each exhibiting short orbital periods of less than 8.1 hours. The other three, known as J1625?0021, J1824+1014, and J2006+0148, feature white dwarf companions and longer orbital periods.

Chapter 2: The Mystery of J1908+2105

Among these pulsars, J0251+2606, J1805+0615, and J2052+1219 were identified as black widows, with companion stars of 0.02 to 0.03 solar masses and exhibiting radio eclipses for less than 40% of their orbital cycles. J1048+2339, classified as a redback, has a companion of 0.3 solar masses, with radio emissions eclipsed approximately half the time.

However, the peculiar case of J1908+2105 presents a challenge for astronomers. It displays radio eclipses resembling those of redbacks, yet its companion star has a mass of 0.055 solar masses—too high for a black widow and too low for a redback. This anomaly leaves researchers puzzled, but they hope that further studies will shed light on this intriguing discovery.

The first video, "The Spiders That Turn Stars into Planets," explores the mechanisms behind these fascinating pulsars and their interactions with companion stars.

The second video, "'Horde of Dead Stars!' Spider Pulsars Caught Destroying Nearby Stars," delves deeper into the predatory nature of these celestial objects and their impact on the cosmos.

Complete research on this topic has been published on the preprint server arXiv.

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