Persistent shock wave around dead star puzzles astronomers
phys.orgPaper in Nature Astronomy: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-025-02748-8
Is there a dilatant fluid / superfluid quantum gravity explanation for this?
The viscosity in a superfluid is zero.
I just sent an email to the authors. From https://gemini.google.com/share/0b906914bcfb :
> If we apply Fedi's "Modified Stokes' Law" to the RX J0528+2838 observation, the interpretation shifts from a magnetic propeller effect to a vacuum friction effect. [...]
> Hypothesis: The "persistent bow shock" is not just the star pushing gas, but the star’s high-velocity (or high-rotation) magnetic field creating shear stress on the quantum vacuum itself
How to test whether MHD or SQR best explain the given phenomena?
> Measure: Precise timing of the binary's orbital period (currently ~80 minutes) over the next 5–10 years.
> Orbit decays exactly as General Relativity predicts -> MHD favored.
> Orbit decays significantly faster (anomalous braking) -> Fedi [SQR, dilatant fluid] and/or Alternative Physics favored.
..
> How to Measure: Map the density of the Interstellar Medium (ISM) around the star.
> Result A: The shock brightness correlates perfectly with patches of dense gas -> MHD favored (Gas hitting Gas).
> Result B: The shock remains bright even in "empty" voids where there is no gas to shock, implying the "medium" is space itself -> Fedi favored.
Are these good tests of MHD vs SQR?
> How to Measure: Observe a background transient event (like a distant quasar or burst) passing through the bow shock. Check for time-of-arrival delays between X-rays and Radio waves.