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Persistent shock wave around dead star puzzles astronomers
- wglb 9mo agoPaper in Nature Astronomy: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-025-02748-8 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-025-02748-8
- westurner 9mo agoIs there a dilatant fluid / superfluid quantum gravity explanation for this? The viscosity in a superfluid is zero.
- westurner 9mo agoI just sent an email to the authors. From https://gemini.google.com/share/0b906914bcfb https://gemini.google.com/share/0b906914bcfb : > If we apply Fedi's "Modified Stokes' Law" to the RX J0528+2838 observation, the interpretation shifts from a magnetic propeller effect to a vacuum friction effect. [...] > Hypothesis: The "persistent bow shock" is not just the star pushing gas, but the star’s high-velocity (or high-rotation) magnetic field creating shear stress on the quantum vacuum itself How to test whether MHD or SQR best explain the given phenomena? > Measure: Precise timing of the binary's orbital period (currently ~80 minutes) over the next 5–10 years. > Orbit decays exactly as General Relativity predicts -> MHD favored. > Orbit decays significantly faster (anomalous braking) -> Fedi [SQR, dilatant fluid] and/or Alternative Physics favored. .. > How to Measure: Map the density of the Interstellar Medium (ISM) around the star. > Result A: The shock brightness correlates perfectly with patches of dense gas -> MHD favored (Gas hitting Gas). > Result B: The shock remains bright even in "empty" voids where there is no gas to shock, implying the "medium" is space itself -> Fedi favored. Are these good tests of MHD vs SQR? > How to Measure: Observe a background transient event (like a distant quasar or burst) passing through the bow shock. Check for time-of-arrival delays between X-rays and Radio waves.