Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Credit: NOIRLab/AURA/NSF
A white dwarf with an intense 38.7 MG magnetic field is siphoning material from its companion. This binary system, ZTF J0112+5827, is among the most extreme cataclysmic variables ever found.
Representative pic/NASA
Orbiting each other in just 81 minutes, these two stars are locked in a violent gravitational embrace. Their rapid dance may soon send detectable ripples through spacetime.
Credit: NOIRLab/AURA/NSF
LISA, a future space-based gravitational wave detector, may one day pick up signals from this extreme binary system. Could ZTF J0112+5827 be the missing puzzle piece in astrophysics?
Credit: University of Florida / Simon Barke (CC BY 4.0)
Unlike normal cataclysmic variables, polars like ZTF J0112+5827 don’t have an accretion disk—its powerful magnetic field channels material into blazing cyclonic streams.
At just 0.8 and 0.07 solar masses, these stars are spiraling closer, locked in a fate dictated by gravity and magnetism. Could this system be on the path to a violent merger?
With its tight orbit and extreme magnetism, this system is expected to emit gravitational waves too faint for Earth-based detectors. But in space, LISA might finally hear its eerie call.
A stellar corpse and a fading companion whirl around each other at breakneck speed. Their twisted relationship sheds new light on the chaotic life cycle of binary systems.
Representative pic
The white dwarf in this system is devouring its smaller companion star, funneling matter along its magnetic field lines. Could this be the future fate of other close binary systems?
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With its extreme mass transfer and rapid orbit, ZTF J0112+5827 is a prime candidate for future gravitational wave detection. Could this be one of LISA’s first big discoveries?
Representative pic