Zombie Stars

[Nicholas Kang]

Type Iax supernovae normally creates zombie stars which survives a cataclysmic supernova. May I know more about them? How does it survive? Is it a white dwarf? Or some other celestial bodies?

Recent related news: http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-nasa-hubble-zombie-star-20140806-story.html

[TheExplorer]

To answer your question, I present the beautiful story of the creation of a zombie star:

 

 

To us humans, youth and life are the most beautiful, joyous things and old age and death, well.. not so much. However, as we observe the stars from our small earth, it makes no difference whether they are newly born stars in a stellar nebula or old white dwarfs. They are ALL beautiful.

 

A white dwarf star is essentially a dead star, and what 99% of all stars will become when nuclear fusion stops producing the fuel in a star.

 

The only way zombie stars form is if a white dwarf star is orbiting another star in a binary system, and either the white dwarf star steals away all the mass from the other star so that its core reaches the temperature required for carbon fusion, or it merges with its companion star, increasing its temperature beyond fusion point, so that a powerful runaway reaction occurs, producing either a normal type Ia supernovae (which doesn't result in zombie stars) or the more rare type Iax supernovae in a fantastic explosion as bright as 1 billion suns, killing the white dwarf star, and leaving its companion star as a helium core, otherwise known as a zombie star.

 

 

Whoever said death was inevitable, ain't never heard of a zombie star.

 

 

I hope this helps you understand. If you want to read more about zombie stars, here are my sources:

 

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/technology/astronomers-may-have-discovered-zombie-star/ngzFs/

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v512/n7512/full/nature13615.html

http://www.universetoday.com/90854/new-nasa-mission-hunts-down-zombie-stars/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_Ia_supernova

http://www.cnet.com/news/nasa-discovers-zombie-star-haunting-the-universe/

http://www.iflscience.com/space/weak-supernova-leaves-behind-zombie-star

[Nicholas Kang]

http://www.universetoday.com/90854/new-nasa-mission-hunts-down-zombie-stars/

 

This article`s content seemed to contradict with my real zombie stars definition. I mean dwarf star and nothing to do with neutron star. The others are ok. I actually posted this topic after reading articles regarding zombie stars found in supernova SN2012Z in the galaxy NGC1309.

The only way zombie stars form is if a white dwarf star is orbiting another star in a binary system, and either the white dwarf star steals away all the mass from the other star so that its core reaches the temperature required for carbon fusion, or it merges with its companion star, increasing its temperature beyond fusion point, so that a powerful runaway reaction occurs, producing either a normal type Ia supernovae (which doesn't result in zombie stars) or the more rare type Iax supernovae in a fantastic explosion as bright as 1 billion suns, killing the white dwarf star, and leaving its companion star as a helium core, otherwise known as a zombie star.

 

So, what is the scientific name for the companion star, we shouldn`t just call it zombie stars, should we?

[TheExplorer]

You are completely right about that article. I didn't mean to put that one. I read it, disregarded it, but when I was doing my sources I accidently included it. That was stupid of me. However it is quite concerning, that that article is displaying a different definition of a zombie star, and perhaps more troubling is how how unscientific and unspecific the title "zombie star" is when referring to the possible fate of white dwarfs companion star in a binary system. I thought the term "zombie star" was merely an alternative name for the phenomenon, a result of popular media, but after looking around the internet, I can find no trace of a real scientific name.

 

http://www.iflscienc...ind-zombie-star

 

You should read this article from my list. Near the bottom, there is a recounting of zombie stars found in supernova SN2012Z in the galaxy NGC1309, which is what you mentioned above. The definition I provided was partly from that account, and partly from a few other sources.

 

Now there are many names of specific companion stars, and although a zombie star is indeed the companion star of a white dwarf it should not be called that.

 

I am actually quite surprised by the lack of information regarding these so called zombie stars, but I am sure with more time, some more concrete and less confusing facts will surface on the internet.

 

I have only found news articles, blog posts, and news related findings on the topic, and no wikipedia, fact-styled pages and concrete findings.

 

But I will include anymore info I find about the topic here.

[Nicholas Kang]

I have heard of that website before. My friend told me the words ifls representing foul words-i fxxxing love science. I am completely being driven up the wall. I hate foul words and negative words entering scientific community. So, I don`t thought of it. But later when I click on every website without a detailed examination on the URL, I found out that it is a good website, except the advertisements and the web`s URL, which is not nice to me. i hate foul words, it just seemed to be spoken by not well/highly educated people.

[Greg H.]

I had never heard the term Zombie Star before. Interesting read. Thank you.

[Nicholas Kang]

You are welcome. Check out official and authoritative facts from NASA official webpage. It would be more reliable. I think there should be a officially recognised name for this celestial body to facilitate communication between scientists.