Chinese and South African astronomers have joined forces to delve deeper into the mysteries of the Milky Way’s oldest celestial formations—globular clusters. Utilizing China’s Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) and South Africa’s MeerKAT array, the team has achieved groundbreaking observations that push the boundaries of space exploration.
Globular clusters are ancient gatherings of millions of stars, including pulsar neutron stars. These pulsars emit regular electromagnetic pulses, acting like cosmic beacons that carry vital information about interstellar matter and magnetic fields. By capturing these signals, scientists can gain unprecedented insights into the structure and evolution of our galaxy.
FAST, known for its ability to detect faint cosmic signals from pulsars millions of light-years away, and MeerKAT, with its 64-antenna array scanning broader areas of the sky, have combined their strengths in a pioneering collaboration led by Tsinghua University. This partnership marks the first time these two world-class radio telescopes have worked together on such a scale.
“By combining equipment from the Southern and Northern Hemispheres, which have different capabilities, we’ve more than doubled our observational sample,” said Professor Li Di from Tsinghua University. “This synchronization between our nations’ telescopes has unlocked new possibilities in our understanding of the cosmos.”
The team successfully obtained polarization rotation measurements of 43 pulsars from eight globular clusters. These measurements are key indicators of the strength of the cosmic magnetic field. Intriguingly, they discovered that seven of these globular clusters showed no detectable ionized gas, suggesting an exceptionally “clean” environment.
“We call it the ‘dust-free realm’ among the Milky Way’s ancient celestial bodies,” Li explained. “Why have these globular clusters remained so clean after such a long evolutionary process? This is a new question for us. Scientists now speculate that many smaller but highly active members of the globular cluster family, like white dwarfs and neutron stars, are constantly radiating energy, effectively ‘blowing away’ the electron ‘dust’ created by other stars.”
The success of this collaboration has opened doors for future projects. Both teams are looking forward to further studies on pulsar mutations, interstellar turbulence, and even the exploration for possible signals from extraterrestrial civilizations.
“This is just the beginning,” Li said. “By working together, we can push the boundaries of what we know about our universe.”
