Scientists locate source of mysterious radio signals after 20 year search: A vampire star and its victim

The clashing magnetic fields of a white dwarf star and its neighboring red dwarf star are the source of signals from space that have remained a puzzle for over 20 years, radio astronomers in Australia have found. The signals, or long-period radio transients, are a class of celestial radio emissions discovered in 2005. Most radio-producing objects release bursts that last for mere seconds or less, but long-period radio transients, about a dozen of which are known, produce radio waves in bursts lasting from minutes to over an hour. Speculation had focused on highly magnetic pulsars called magnetars as the origin of these radio bursts, but now new research led by Kovi Rose of the University of Sydney, using the Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope, has shown that symbiotic binaries are to blame for at least some long-period radio transients. Symbiotic binaries feature a compact object — usually a white dwarf , which is the core remains of a sun -like star — stealing matter from a close companion star. This scenario often leads to a nova explosion when too much material accretes onto the surface of the white dwarf. "Long-period radio transients have puzzled astronomers for years," said Rose, who is a postgrad student, in a statement . …