科学家长期以来对宇宙中定期传送强烈无线电讯号的「长周期无线电暂态」（LPT）来源感到困惑。最近，由雪梨大学领导的国际研究团队利用澳大利亚平方公里阵列探路者（ASKAP）无线电望远镜，发现了名为 ASKAP J174508.9-505149 的神秘天体之真实面貌。观测证据证实，该讯号源自一个白矮星正积极从其伴星（红矮星）中吸积物质的双星系统，这为 LPT 的物理本质提供了迄今为止最强力的证据。

光谱与径向速度分析显示，该双星系统的轨道周期约为 1.368 小时，这与无线电脉冲的重复周期（约 1.345 小时）高度吻合。这颗白矮星与一颗质量约为太阳 0.096 倍、半径约为太阳 0.13 倍的 M6 型红矮星以极近的距离相互绕行。此外，观测指出无线电脉冲与 X 射线是由不同机制产生的：气体吸积被加热产生 X 射线，而两星磁场交互作用的区域则产生强大的无线电爆发。

这项发现还伴随著其他前所未见的现象，包括检测到通常只在木星-埃欧（Io）系统中出现的「调变带」现象。研究人员将 ASKAP J1745-5051 视为解密 LPT 的「罗塞塔石碑」，它有助于厘清其他 LPT 是与中子星脉冲星还是白矮星系统相关。该系统也成为研究地球上无法复制的强磁场与强引力下物质行为的天然实验室。

Scientists have long been puzzled by the source of "long-period radio transients" (LPTs), which are strong radio signals arriving periodically from space. Recently, an international research team led by the University of Sydney used the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope to identify the true nature of a mysterious object named ASKAP J174508.9-505149. The observational evidence confirmed that the source of this transient comes from a white dwarf actively pulling material from its red dwarf companion, providing the strongest evidence to date for the physical nature of LPTs.

Spectroscopic and radial velocity analyses revealed that the orbital period of the binary system is approximately 1.368 hours, which closely matches the repetition period of the radio pulses (about 1.345 hours). The white dwarf and an M6-class red dwarf, with a mass about 0.096 times and a radius about 0.13 times that of the sun, orbit each other at an extremely close distance. Furthermore, observations indicate that the radio bursts and X-ray emissions are generated by different mechanisms: X-rays are emitted when the accreted gas is heated, while powerful radio bursts occur where the magnetic fields of the two stars interact.

This discovery is also accompanied by other unprecedented phenomena, including the detection of "modulation lanes," a phenomenon previously only observed in the Jupiter-Io system. Researchers regard ASKAP J1745-5051 as a "Rosetta Stone" for deciphering LPTs, helping to determine whether other LPTs are associated with neutron star pulsars or white dwarf systems. The system will serve as a natural laboratory for studying the behavior of matter under strong magnetic fields and gravitational forces that cannot be replicated on Earth.