Radio astronomers use pulsar with strong magnetic field to
investigate supermassive black hole
Astronomers have discovered a magnetar at the centre of our
Milky Way. This pulsar has an extremely strong magnetic field and enables
researchers to investigate the direct vicinity of the black hole at the heart
of the galaxy. An international team of scientists headed by the Max Planck
Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn have, for the first time, measured the
strength of the magnetic field around this central source and were able to show
that the latter is fed by magnetic fields. These control the inflow of mass
into the black hole, also explaining the x-ray emissions of this gravity trap.