starquaken.
/ˈstɑːkweɪk/, U.S. /ˈstɑrˌkweɪk/ Astronomy.
A violent convulsion or fracturing of the crust of a neutron star.
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the world > the universe > star > star-matter > [noun] > stellar process
agglutination1753
nebularizationa1892
fission1919
carbon cycle1940
r-process1956
s-process1956
nucleosynthesis1957
starquake1969
1969 Nature 9 Aug. 598/1 Neutron stars which satisfy the criterion, ω ≧ 103 s−1, should have starquakes as they slow up.
1976 Sci. Amer. Oct. 78/3 In still other neutron-star models the source of the gamma rays is ascribed to ‘starquakes’.
1992 Economist 18 Jan. 101/1 A sharp movement of the star's crust—a ‘starquake’—or the impact of a comet might well trigger a burst of gamma rays.
2011 R. Freedman et al. Universe (ed. 9) xxi. 565/2 A starquake on the surface of a magnetar releases magnetic energy in the form of an intense blast of X-rays and gamma rays.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2016; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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