Stellar rotation can have a very rapid rate of rotation; on the order of a hundred rotations per second. Pulsars are rotating neutron stars that have a magnetic field. A narrow beam of electromagnetic radiation is emitted from the poles of rotating pulsars. If the beam sweeps past the direction of the Solar System then the pulsar will produce a periodic pulse that can be detected from the Earth. The energy radiated by the magnetic field gradually slows down the rotation rate, so that older pulsars can require as long as several seconds between each pulse. A black hole is an object
Beam dump beams to be absorbed can run into the megajoules. Materials used for such beam dumps include blocks of copper, aluminium, carbon, beryllium, and tungsten. The block often has a long conical hole, where the beam hits it, so as to spread the heating over a larger region of the block. If the beam to be absorbed is high-powered, these blocks may be up to several meters long and water-cooled. Pools of mercury have also been used. If the particles in the beam are energetic enough, induced radioactivity, production of neutrons by spalling, radiation embrittlement, and production of secondary particles can