Radio Flares from Collisions of Neutron Stars with Interstellar Asteroids

TL;DR

This paper suggests that collisions between neutron stars and interstellar asteroids can produce observable radio flares, estimating a rate of about 10 events per day in the Milky Way, which could help identify such phenomena.

Contribution

It introduces a novel mechanism for radio flares caused by neutron star-asteroid collisions and estimates their occurrence rate in our galaxy.

Findings

Estimated event rate of ~10 per day for observable radio flares.

Proposed a new astrophysical process linking neutron stars and interstellar objects.

Potential for detecting these flares to study neutron star-asteroid interactions.

Abstract

We propose that collisions between neutron stars and interstellar asteroids, such as `Oumuamua, could power observable radio flares in the Milky Way galaxy. We find the rate of such events at $\sim 1 \mathrm{\; Jy}$ to be $\sim 10 \mathrm{\; day^{-1}}$.