Simulation shows a magnetar can form when two neutron stars merge

Researchers used the FUGAKU supercomputer to simulate the merger of two low-mass neutron stars with fields of about 3 trillion Gauss. Within milliseconds of contact, turbulence amplified the magnetic field more than 300-fold, supporting the idea that magnetars can form in such mergers.

• Initial stellar fields in the simulation were about 3 trillion Gauss
• The field was amplified more than 300-fold in about 1 ms
• Merger is possible when total mass stays below the TOV limit of ~2.6 solar masses